It's All My Pug's Fault
by WrittenMagic2
Summary: Celine had her life, a comfortable, sometimes overbearing life. She did not need nine men to come waltzing in it, she would have been much happier if left alone. She always knew her pug would somehow drag her into some sort of trouble and unfortunately, today seemed to be the day it started. Starts on Earth but later goes to ME. Legolas/OC
1. Freeloader

A/N: Oopsie, another Lord of the Rings story though I must say I like this one much better. My writing has evolved since my last one, so I hope you enjoy! This will start out in our world, but will eventually make it into Middle Earth. And trust me when I say this, I am going to try to make sure no one is OOC. Though this might be difficult for some of the Fellowship, I do not think it'll be bad.

Please let me know what you think! I am a very humorous writer but later on in the story I'm going to try to get more serious. Tell me if you enjoy the humor or would rather I stick to a more serious approach. I'm also going to try to prevent my OC from becoming Mary-Sue! Please review!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

It's not like, super embarrassing right? I live in a huge house with too many rooms and two staircases and acres of wooded land surrounding it. I mean, I have neighbors of course, who wants to live alone in the wilderness right? My neighbors are visible, but it would take me a few minutes to walk there.

Snow covered my lawn and cobblestone steps that led to be house. My backyard was large with no fence surrounding it, which seems kinda dumb though. The inside of my house in filled with luxurious furniture; every room and guest room had a bed, bureau, windows, bathrooms, you name it. One would think I ran a B&amp;B or something.

Oh but wait shit, this isn't actually my house. My bad.

I mean, I live in the house. No, no, that makes me sound like a burglar. If I had a nicer word other than this, I would find one, but my vocab is limited. Which will sound ironic very soon.

I'm a freeloader.

Yup. I am a 26-year-old woman who still lives with her parents. Humiliating, I know. It is not by choice.

My parents were both extremely successful, Dad's a CEO of some big shot company that is far too complex for me to understand, or at least that's what he tells me. My mom first started working as Oprah Winfrey's makeup artist, for I would say…. 8 years?

She worked that long with the woman and never even introduced me to her. Whatever.

After that though, she created her own makeup line that made it's way from Target, to Sephora, then up to Nordstrom's, Bloomingdales, and other big shot, ridiculously expensive stores. My parents are literally the perfect definition of successful. If you opened up a dictionary to the word "successful", there would be no words. Just a picture of my mom and dad.

But not me. Trust me, you will not find a picture of me anywhere close to that word. Possibly near the word "freeloader" or "dumb-dumb."

Don't get me wrong, I went to University, I graduated with high marks. The only problem was my degree. My parents screwed me over. They said "follow your dreams," "do what you love."

Yeah? Really mom, dad? I did what I loved and I'm stuck here living with you because I can barely afford enough groceries to feed myself. I bet that's what they wanted though.

I majored in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. I absolutely loved to read and write, more than the average nerd too. But I never thought ahead like "What am I going to do with this degree?" Write books obviously. Well, do you know how hard it is to write and publish a book? Pretty damn hard.

Not to brag too much, but I have managed to publish 3 books. Pretty cool right? Well actually, the books are about 15 pages each and are under 300 words. They are titled, "Fiona's First Day of First Grade!", "Brave Brody", and "Pampered Puppies."

All. Children's. Books.

I mean, I can't even have a book signing with that! I would be embarrassed to sign some 6 snotty year old's book! Over my dead body.

So that leaves me to this, stuck in my parents house, making a few bucks here and there when some mom wants to shut their kid up so they buy my book. I live in the same room where I lived since I was 12, light pink walls, white furniture, queen size bed, book shelves filled to the brim, walk-in closet, and my own bathroom. Every girl's dream right?

Not mine. I'd rather live in a shabby apartment with no dishwasher, at least then I'd feel like an adult. I mean, I can't even bring a boy home, imagine how awkward that would be. "Yeah sure you can come over! But my parents like to watch "How to Get Away with Murder" at around 8, so won't be able to use the large TV in the living room."

Oh but wait, in order for me to even have that conversation, I would need a boyfriend.

I sighed as I sat up in bed that morning, miserable as I reflected back on my current situation. I yawned loudly and scratched my head, not even wanting to look at my bed-head. I'd probably crack the mirror. I heard this snorting noise down by the foot of my bed and I look over to see my pug lying on her back, looking at me like I had suddenly turned into a chicken wing.

"Puggles, I love you but you're drooling on my bed again." I whined as I scooped up my puppy. I call her a puppy, but she's actually full-grown and a little pudgy on the sides. Oh well, more to love.

I plopped Puggles on the ground by my bed and I hoped down from my bed, quickly jumped from my wooden floor to the rug I laid down in front of my bureau. I hate wooden floors, I don't care how trendy they are, they are hell in the winter. If I wanted frostbite I would go to Antarctica and hang out with the penguins and waddle around with them in the 12 feet of snow there.

I risked a glance in the mirror on the wall behind my bureau, I cringed. Long, deep mahogany hair hung in disarray down to the middle of my back. Green eyes studied my complexion and they soon spotted a brush nearby. I laughed and grabbed the hair tie next to it and threw my hair in the ugliest bun you could imagine. Who do I have to look cute for? Puggles? No Puggles doesn't even mind if I strut naked, she's not judgmental at all. I mean I'm not ugly, no I would actually consider myself quite pretty. Perhaps model pretty, the only thing stopping me from doing that is that you have to have the chest size of that of a 12-year-old boy and a tiny cute little butt. Nope. I got boobs, though not Sofia Vergara perfection boobs, but boobs nonetheless. And not like Dolly Parton boobs, wait, who cares. You get the picture.

I didn't even bother changing out of my red, plaid, long pajama bottoms and black t-shirt. I went down the 28, spiraling steps that led to the first floor of this palace. I marched my way to the kitchen and put on the Kerig and then went to feed my little princess.

My little porky princess.

Dumping a decent amount of food into Puggles bowl and filling her a new dish of water, I moved to see outside the patio door windows. It was the beginning of December in Maine, meaning shit tons of snow. Thank God I don't have to shovel though.

It's the little things in life.

The snow covers the back yard and was untouched. It was beautiful to look at when I was inside, but I wanted to kill a snowman whenever I was out. I appreciate beauty from afar.

I sighed as I placed a coffee cup underneath the Kerig and pressed the button that would fill it. I took my mug and made my way to the living room, which is probably my favorite place in this whole house. It was so cozy with our large gas fireplace, a huge decorated Christmas tree in the corner, little Santa Clauses scattered about. But the absolute best part?

The floor is carpeted.

I sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to me. Puggles backed up a bit and took a running start to launch herself onto the sofa. She made it.

I grabbed the remote of the glass table to my left and turned the TV on, flipping through channels trying to find something remotely interesting. It was a Friday morning, so that meant the only decent thing on TV were the six different news channels that all said the same thing.

I sipped my coffee trying not to burn my tongue in the process. The weatherman was currently pointing to the green screen map behind him, pointing out the locations where we could expect more snowfall. He looked at me straight in the eye and said "Scattered snowstorms will start at around 2pm this afternoon and continue until later this night." I turned my head to the left to look out the window and watched as it already began to snow.

Liar.

I sighed flipping through more channels, just trying to find something I could but on as background noise. Blues Clues? Nope. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? Nope. "Keeping Up with the-?" Hell no, I have a little more dignity than that. I didn't get much farther than that until I heard the home phone ring and since I have no friends, not counting the old lady down the street, there's only one of two people it could be. Mom, or dad.

I reached for the phone and hit the answer button. "Hello?"

"Hello my little _petite citrouille_." A feminine voice laughed with a terrible French accent. I rolled my eyes and frowned at my mom's pet name for me. My mom is currently in France for a few weeks; testing new makeup products to see which ones she is going to release. And because she is in France, she decided to pick up a few French words. Petite citrouille means "little pumpkin" in English.

Seriously? Out of all the beautiful French words she choose pumpkin? Is she trying to insinuate something?

"How are you Celine? I miss you and your father! Have you heard form him lately?" Another fun fact, my dads in Shanghai. But he will be gone longer than my mom.

"Yeah mom, he called last night." I said standing up and moving back to the kitchen. "He's doing well, though he's having a hard time with his assigned translator."

"Oh poor dear, I'll have to give him a call soon. What have you been up to lately? Write anything new?"

I smiled, as much as I might pretend to be annoyed with my parents, they were the sweetest and most supportive people I know. "Actually I just about finished the first draft of my first adult fiction novel. I'm going to email it to my publisher tonight. Hopefully I'll hear back from her by Monday."

"Oh that's wonderful news! Are you willing to give your mother a sneak peak?"

I laughed pushing a stray hair out of my face. "No mom, it might not even be published. We'll see, I want to perfect before anybody seriously reads it." Mom and I made small talk, catching up with each other. She tended to act like she had been gone for months and I was some how feeling neglected. After 15 minutes or so she had to hang up to get back to eye shadow testing.

I put the phone back on the receiver and sipped my coffee. I felt something wet on the side of my leg. Puggles was licking me like I had spilled some sort of human food on my leg.

What a life I was living.

* * *

_The Fellowship…_

Nine figures stood in a line trudging through the heavy snow that covered the mountaintops. The lead of the group was an elf that could balance his weight across the snow, having no trouble moving upwards on the mountain. The other eight figures behind him had to lift their legs high in order to move forward. The worst of the group were the four hobbits, no bigger than an average aged child, for they had snow well above their knees. Even the elderly wizard and the dwarf faired much better than the hobbits.

The nine were set to travel across Middle Earth to the fated Mount Doom, to cast the Ring into the very fires of Mordor. It was no simple task, only those who were brave enough volunteered for such a journey. Many thought the nine of them would surely perish at some point in their travels. But the group remained strong, helping one another through the rough terrain, offering their cloaks to needed it most.

The group remained quiet, only a few spoke to one another for they were all weary and tired, some showing more than others. One of the hobbits tripped once again over his large cold feet. One of the men steadied him, though he seemed far more interested in the jewelry that lay around his neck.

"Frodo, you stumble often. Do you require a moments rest?" The man with the large shield on his back asked. "For you carry a burden greater than the rest of us."

Frodo glanced up at the man and shook his head. "Nay Boromir for I may carry a heavy burden, the longer we delay the longer I shall carry it." Boromir nodded and they continued on their way.

But soon the hobbit tripped once more, put instead of falling forwards, he lost his balance and slipped backwards. He tumbled down until the other man, Aragorn, stopped him. The hobbit frantically searched for the trinket that usually rested against his skin. Up yonder everyone turned to stare at Boromir as he stooped low to pick up something in the snow. A darkness fell across his features and made Aragorn uneasy.

"Boromir?" He called, as if to draw attention away from the dark Ring that he held in his hands.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing...such a little thing." He said almost as if he were talking to himself. Aragorn slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, praying that he would not need to draw it against his fellow companion.

"Boromir...give the ring to Frodo." Aragorn said calmly to the other man. Boromir looked up and saw the concerned and distrustful expression of the hobbit. Frodo was already uneasy with most of the company; he did not need another reason to take second glances at the man.

Boromir descended the slope and stood in front of Frodo with his arm outstretched. "As you wish, I care not." He said lightly trying to diffuse the thick tension in the air. He ruffled his gloved hand over the thick dark curls of the hobbit. He then turned around and began walking back up towards the group, it was only then did Aragorn remove his hand from the hilt of his sword.

Legolas stood in front of the group and gazed out over the mountainous landscape. They had traveled high and far from the ground and his comfort only lessened. He was a woodland elf; the trees were like his source of comfort. His hand grazed the mountain wall to his left as his ears began to pick up the sound of speech. It was dark and foreboding, ill intent clearly behind it.

"There is a fell voice in the air." Legolas turned to look at company, warning them that something dangerous was coming.

Gandalf did not seem surprised at his statement as he soon heard the dark wizards speech. "It is Saruman." Soon the mountain began to rumble and the ground beneath their feet swayed every which way.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain." Aragorn shouted. "Gandalf! We must turn back!"

Gandalf shook his head and raised his staff high. "No!" He shouted. "Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho I ruith. Sleep Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath." But Gandalf's speech did nothing for lightning struck the side of the mountain. Snow and rock tumbled from the cliff and Legolas grabbed Gandalf before the boulders could crush him.

But no one could prevent the onslaught of snow that tumbled onto their bodies. The snow piled high and the company felt as if they were being pulled deeper and deeper into the depths of the mountain. Even the strong men and elf could not claw there way to the rest of the company. It was almost like they were being pulled away from each other, but soon the company thought no more because their vision turned black.

* * *

_Celine_

It continued to snow throughout the entire day on Friday. Though I didn't mind, I had my laptop in my lap, curled up in front of the fireplace, and a beautiful pug lying next to me. I was finishing up the last minute edits on my first rough draft of my novel, to be completely honest, I thought it was astounding. I mean, I definitely was no J.K Rowling but I'm all right.

The rest of the day passed slowly and soon the sun was setting, casting beautiful golden rays across the treetops. I yawned and stretched my legs from there previous cramped position. I hadn't even changed out of my pajamas; well I should get credit for the fact that I at least put a bra on.

Puggles jumped up from her laying position and sprinted to the kitchen. I sighed as I realized that she needed to be fed again. She jumped up on her hind legs as I reached underneath the counter to get her food.

As soon as I fed her I went to the fridge to find myself some food for the night. I cringed as I saw my parent's had stocked up on fruits and vegetables but seemed to have missed out on any sort of junk food. Unfortunately I had to eat healthy tonight because even if I ordered a pizza, they wouldn't be able to deliver due to all this snow.

I cut up strawberries and apples, through in some blueberries and grapes, and called it dinner. I sat at the dark marble countertop in the kitchen and dug into my "delicious" dinner. I paused mid-way to my mouth with my last piece of fruit as I heard a scratching as the patio door. I turned around and saw Puggles waiting patiently, with her tongue hanging out to the side, for me to open the door.

"Have to go pee-pee Puggles?" I asked standing up and moving towards the pug. She got super excited and turned in circles in anticipation for me to open the door. I sighed as I opened the door a smidge, feeling the gust of the cold winter air fly through the house. I saw Puggles sprint super fast outside and began to jump around in the snow attempting to catch the snowflakes that were dropping.

My jaw dropped as I realized that she didn't have to poop at all. "Puggles," I whined leaning my head against the glass. "you might be having fun but guess who's going to have to clean you up?" Puggles suddenly stopped dancing about as she heard something in the direction of the forest, something I didn't hear. I raised my eyebrows at her sudden attentiveness as she glanced from me to the trees behind her.

I shook my head in despair as I had a feeling what she was going to do. "Uh-uh Puggles, don't do this to me. Don't make me-." I stopped mid-sentence as Puggles sprinted off towards the forest at a much faster speed than I though she could accomplish. "-run after you." I finished lamely.

Though I knew she would come back, Puggles never ran off into the forest. She was afraid of the unknown just as much as I was. Thankfully, the sun was still casting enough light for me to sprint to the forest after her, but I was not taking any chances. I ran towards the closet and grabbed a pair of white snow boots and shoved my feet in them. I then grabbed the first warm pea coat I could find and threw that on. Sprinting back to the kitchen I grabbed my IPhone, thank God this phone had a flashlight app.

"Puggles!" I yelled stepping through the patio door and out into the frigid environment. "Puggles mummy is getting mad! Puggles come here!" I waited from her to come sprinting back to the house.

No Puggles.

I muttered obscenities as I soon began a brisk walk towards the forest.

I love my dog too much.

* * *

_The Fellowship…_

Frodo groaned and pried his eyes open. He was very cold and could tell he was lying down on a soft, yet frigid substance. Frodo moved his body slightly, trying to push himself into a sitting position, but pain shot through his limbs and he collapsed back down on the snow.

Trying to at least get a bearing of his surroundings Frodo managed to turn himself around so that he was chest up. He looked around the scenery and saw that the sky was turning dark as if the sun was setting. But what confused him the most was the fact that there were trees surrounding him.

Hearing a groan to his right, he looked around to see scattered members of the Fellowship. They too look disheveled and momentarily confused to what had happened.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam called scrambling up and wavering slightly as he made his way to him. Sam slowly helped Frodo into a standing position. Frodo nodded his thanks as he looked to the rest of the Fellowship. Legolas helped Aragorn to a standing position as well as Gandalf.

Everyone was accounted for and they soon moved closer to one another. "What has happened Gandalf?" Aragorn asked moving towards the wizard. "This is no longer the Misty Mountains but I cannot recall ever descending."

Gandalf remained silent peering towards the trees that surrounded them. He could not fully comprehend what had happened either; Saruman's magic had surely hit the mountain in an attempt to bury them. But to completely whisk them away from the mountains was not possible from his range.

"Surely Saruman's magic would not have strayed us this far." Aragorn whispered to Gandalf voicing his thoughts.

"Nay my friend." The elf answered walking towards the two. "For there seemed to be another presence upon that mountain, it was foreign to me. It whispered words that I could not comprehend, I do not know what it was."

The hobbits huddled close to one another, teeth chattering and trying in a feeble attempt to keep their limbs warm. Gandalf noticed them and their current condition. "We must find shelter." The wizard said. "For I need to think what could have possibly happened and we could all use some rest."

Suddenly the elf's ear perked up and he whipped his bow out and knocked an arrow. Noticing his actions the rest of the company drew their weapons.

"What do you hear Legolas?" Aragorn asked looking out towards the trees.

"Something approaches, though small it may be, I do not know what it could be." The elf replied peering his eyes towards the direction of the steps. The creature was coming at a fast pace and its steps were light.

The steps grew closer and closer until the creature burst through the trees. Everyone stared at it in shock, not really knowing how to react. A small four legged, tan, squished face dog stood before them panting heavily. It was a bit overweight by the looks of it, but it was obviously no threat.

"Ha!" The dwarf boomed lowering his ax. "A mighty creature that is but fear not elf, it will not kill you!" The dwarf laughed as the elf lowered his bow and glared.

The dog barked and sprinted towards the group and began sniffing them and snorting through it's squished nose. It began to circle some of the members and licked their pants. The hobbits were a bit apprehensive around the dog, but the rest were confused to why there was a small dog in such a scene. An odd place for such a harmless creature.

"It has a funny face." Pippin commented as he tried to push the dog away with his foot. Suddenly the dog noticed something in the snow and sprinted to Frodo and began to dig by his feet. The group eyed it strangely as the dog stuffed its face in the snow. The dog resurfaced with a chain in its mouth and the Fellowship paled. Frodo immediately began to grab around his neck for surely the dog could not have that in its mouth. But alas Frodo realized that the Ring was no longer around his neck, he lunged for the dog but missed as the dog leapt out of the way.

The company sprang into action trying to catch the dog, but of course the dog thought they were all playing. She ran around the company in encouraging them to grab her. The company was quick, but the dog had four legs and was small and agile, even the elf could not catch the creature.

"Oh this is ridiculous!" The dwarf growled as he missed the dog as she ran straight through his legs. "Just stick it with an arrow before the beast runs off!"

Legolas, realizing that it would be the quickest method, nocked an arrow, but before he could even raise it, the dog sprinted back towards the trees. "Quickly!" Gandalf cried beginning to run after the creature. "For that dog has something terrible in its possession, do not let it be lost!"

The company sprinted after the dog in the general direction that it went. As the nine of them ran, the trees began to thin out. They spotted the dog sprinting through a land that was cleared of trees. They stopped just at the edge of the forest and Legolas raised his bow eyeing the small dog as it ran towards a large structure that stood in the distance.

"Puggles! There you are!" The nine figures immediately whipped their heads around to see a young woman standing a few meters away from the structure with her hands on her hips. She wore strangely patterned breeches and a thick coat over her body. Her hair was piled atop her head and did not look like it had seen a brush in several days. She bent low with her arms outstretched as if she were beckoning a child to walk up to her.

The dog bolted into her arms and she laughed as she hugged the dog. "Mummy has been worried!" She attempted to scold the dog. "Have I taught you nothing? Do not go running out so late, better yet, stay were mummy can see you."

She stopped speaking as she noticed something in the dog's mouth. The company went ridged as they saw her expression change to confusion as she reached towards the Ring that was around the chain in the dog's mouth.

"What are yer' waiting for!" The dwarf growled. "Stick 'em with an arrow!" The elf whipped his head around and glared at the dwarf once again.

"You would have me shoot an unarmed woman!" He hissed as he lowered his bow.

"She could be with the enemy!" The dwarf shot back.

"She is but a child!" The elf snapped. "I will not shoot unless I must." Legolas turned to Gandalf who looked torn between what they should do.

"Nay, Legolas is right. He shall not shoot." He paused as he and the company turned and watched the young woman grab the chain in the dog's mouth. But to their amusement, the dog did not release it. The woman placed the dog on the ground and tried to pry the chain out of the dog's mouth, but the dog refused.

"Really Puggles." The woman sighed. "You find something nice and your not even willing to let me see it? You're greedy." She pouted, but nonetheless she picked up her dog once again and moved into the house. Oblivious to the nine figures that were watching her.

"Well, now she's gone into that building." The dwarf growled. "With the Ring no less, how shall we obtain it now?"

Gandalf smirked and leaned heavily on his staff. "Why my dear Gimli, have you learning nothing about the art of manners? We shall simply talk to the young woman and ask for it back. I believe she is of no threat, she did not even recognize what she had in her possession."

The hobbits exchanged glances, for some reason they all thought it was going to be much more difficult than that.

* * *

A/N: Well there's the first chapter! I really hoped you enjoyed it! I'm still struck on whether this should be first person POV or third person, or even mix. Which would you guys prefer? Let me know in a review or something and I will talk to you in the next chapter!

Also let me mention that I am in no way, shape, or form condemning English majors. I do not mean to insult anyone with what I was saying in this chapter, I just need a major that my OC could use and I thought it fit best with my character in mind. Please don't be offended with what I said; I say it all in jest!


	2. Brownies

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite this story! It makes me so happy to see people reading this! Well, I have the next chapter for you so I hope you enjoy!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Puggles was currently licking the sleeve of my coat as I held in her in my arms, trying to balance her as I opened the patio door. It was still snowing heavily by the time I entered the house so both Puggles and I had snowflakes clinging to us.

I stepped into the warm house and sighed in content, I welcomed the warmth on my skin. I stomped my boots on the carpet trying to rid them of the snow before I tracked it through the house. I placed Puggles on the ground next to me as I proceeded to rid my feet of the clunky boots.

"Puggles," I said in the most commanding voice I could muster. "stay! Mummy needs to wipe all that snow off you before you go prancing through the house." Puggles looked at me and stood still, panting with her tongue out. I noticed she left the chain on the floor, seemingly bored with it now. "Good girl." I grinned as I slipped both boots off and proceeded to take off my jacket. But for some reason, Puggles heard that as "Go run through the house, ignore me." So she grabbed the chain again and sprinted off into the grand piano room where her toy box was.

"No, Puggles!" I ripping my coat off completely and throwing it on the ground as my first priority was keeping my porky princess from making a mess. "Puggles!" I screeched sprinting to the grand piano room; the only problem was that I did not lock the patio door in my haste. Which I would soon learn to be a very, very dumb thing to do.

* * *

_The Fellowship…_

"Well she's entered that place with that…. squished dog." Pippin said looking at the very large building in the distance. "Now what?" He said turning to the company at a loss what to do.

"Now my dear Pippin, we go to speak with the young lady." Gandalf said stepping forward with his staff in hand.

"We do not know who lies within that place." Boromir said stepping after Gandalf. "You deem it wise to go blindly into an unknown area?"

"Nay Boromir, I do not deem it wise." Gandalf countered as he continued to walk. "But I see no other choice. If she is a threat then we must be ready, but do not immediately scare her." He said as he eyed Boromir's hand as it hovered above the hilt of his sword.

The Fellowship knew better than to disagree with Gandalf, for they knew they did not really have any other choice. But as they neared the building, everyone, in including Gandalf, was shocked to see such a structure.

The building was not made of stone nor wood from a tree. Instead it was built by an unknown material that they had never seen before. Legolas hesitantly ran his hands along the structure, surprised to feel that it was entirely smooth, like that of a stone. Though he could tell the material was strong, durable, as it had not problem with the current snow that was accumulating. The structure was also high and held many windows of various sizes.

"She seemed to enter from this side of the building, Legolas, could you see how?" Aragorn turned to the elf as he studied the length of the building.

Legolas nodded towards a part of the building that looked see-through. "She entered with her back turned to us, all I could see was that she moved her arm and stepped through the visible door."

The hobbits, who were still huddled together for warmth, moved towards the see-through door. The Fellowship stood beside them and were shocked as they peered inside. "What is that?" Merry breathed pointing to the medium structures in the room. There were tall, square, things that seemed to gleam like metal. It looked to have a handle at the top and bottom, as if it revealed something when pulled. The room was large and held a variety of object that none of the companions had seen before. They were baffled at the scene and even the elf seemed at a loss for words.

"What are we waiting for?" The dwarf growled with his hands still on his ax. "Let us go inside and find the Ring!" Gimli moved forward towards the invisible wall, but collided with the hard structure. He stumbled backwards, nearly losing his footing on the snow. "What the devilry is this?!" He cried out backing away from the door. "I cannot pass through it! Something is blocking me!"

The hobbits backed up in fright as an invisible force prevented the dwarf from entering the structure. Gandalf moved around the hobbits and came close to the patio door. "Perhaps there is a password to enter the structure." He mumbled to himself. Gandalf pressed his staff against the door and muttered words of elvish that could possibly open the door. The Fellowship waited in anticipation for something to happen.

Nothing did.

"Perhaps there are markings." Legolas said looking around. "A door usually has a phrase to which someone may read to decipher the password. Elvish doors are seldom seen without words on it."

"Legolas is right." Aragorn looked at the Fellowship. "Everyone look around the walls for markings of sort. Perhaps the woman entered once a password was whispered, for we know she did not use a key."

The Fellowship spread out and looked high and low for any sort of language that would be upon the wall. But soon they would figure out that the woman used no such thing in order to enter her home.

* * *

_Celine…_

I finally managed to grab Puggles as she ceased her game of tag, which I truly did not want to play. She no longer had the chain in her mouth but to be honest I didn't care. I just wanted her to stop running around and spreading snow throughout my parent's house.

Still holding Puggles, I went up the large staircase to go get a towel in the closet. "Puggles, you are very lucky Mummy loves you so much." I said opening the closet door and grabbing a fluffy pink towel. "I could give you a lovely bath right now, but Mummy knows how much you hate that." Puggles just sat there on the ground, tongue hanging out, as I wiped each of her four paws. She rolled over onto her back so I could rub her tummy clean of snow. Though I honestly think she just wanted a belly rub.

"Done!" I pulled the towel away from Puggles belly but she still laid there looking up at me. She and I stared at one another and eventually I caved and plopped my butt next to her to give her a more thorough belly rub. I shivered slightly as my damp hair dripped down my back.

"I need to shower anyway." I grumbled to myself, to be honest I hadn't had a shower yet today. I stood up after I gave Puggles a final pat and made my way to my bedroom. Walking over to my bureau I pulled open the top drawer and shifted through my underwear.

Thong, thong, lacey, thong, lacey, aha! I grinned pulling out a white cotton pair that I bought from Target, comfortable, yet not sexy at all. I didn't care.

Again, Puggles doesn't judge.

Picking up my speaker and IPhone, I moved to my bathroom adjoined to my room. Placing the speaker on the counter I flicked through my playlist and taped "Bang Bang" and soon the speaker came to life. I began to close the door but I heard a scratching sound as Puggles begged me to keep the door open.

I sighed not really caring since I was home alone and the prospect of someone walking in on me was non-existent, so I left the door wide open. Puggles grinned and began to roll around on the fluffy white carpet that covered part of the tile floor.

Yanking the hair tie out of my hair I scowled at the rats next upon my head. Who cares. I proceeded to then strip myself out of my pajamas and threw them to the ground, letting Puggles roll around in those too. I turned the water to hot and held my hand out to make sure Mt. Fiji wasn't going to erupt on my back, then I stepped into the shower immediately relaxing.

I sighed in content as I let the water warm my skin from the top of my head to the bottoms of my toes. I slowly lathered my hair with shampoo and conditioner, taking care to shave, and finally wash my body. This whole process could have just taken 15 minutes, I finished in 45.

After squeezing my hair of the excess hair I stepped outside and grabbed a fluffy pink towel. I completely dried myself off and made sure to flick droplets onto Puggles, to which she tried to catch with her mouth. Slipping on my underwear I wrapped the towel around my chest and tucked the end nice and snug into the top.

I whipped the condensation off the mirror and proceeded to blow dry my hair. I didn't care enough to completely dry it, I just didn't want it to drip down my back. I finished quickly and French braided my hair so that it was out of my face. It was a sloppy and ugly braid, but a braid nonetheless.

Puggles was no longer in the bathroom with me; my guess is because she didn't like my taste in music. I turned off my speaker and threw that and my IPhone onto my bed.

Glancing through my pajama drawer I picked up another pair of plaid pajama bottoms, bra, and a black Olaf shirt that my mom bought me. I was about to get dressed until I heard my dog barking, normally this wouldn't bother me, but Puggles never barks, like ever. Only if I was hiding her toy from her and squeaking it, she didn't even bark when someone rang the doorbell. Honestly she was the worst guard dog ever. I think a fish would give me more of a warning than my dog.

"Puggles hush!" I shouted as loud as I could without completely waking up the neighborhood. Puggles continued to bark and acted as if she didn't hear me. Which I know is false 'cause I can sound as loud as a walrus if I wanted to.

I pulled my towel off and put on the garments before I proceeded back downstairs. Glancing at one of the many clocks on the wall, I noticed it was only 8 o'clock at night. I still had time to curl up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and watch a movie.

I was feeling a Harry Potter marathon.

Stepping quickly down the stairs I moved to the kitchen and pulled open the cabinets to look for some buttery popcorn. But I found something even better! As soon as it caught my eye I wanted to cry tears of joy. One of my mother's co-workers baked brownies and gave her some. How did I know it was her co-worker?

Because our neighbors didn't give two shits about us.

Except for the old lady down the street. I liked her.

Puggles continued to bark a little bit more, I don't know why though. Perhaps her toy was stuck behind the sofa again. Typical.

I popped a chunk of brownies in my mouth and moaned in delight. This brownies tasted exceptionally good, who ever made these I would urge them to sell them. But at a price I could afford. Still holding a chunk of brownie in my hand I moved to the fridge to get some milk to go with it. Thank God my parents didn't forget to buy milk before they left.

I moved to get a glass as well, making sure to take another bit of the brownie as well, so I could fill it u with milk. I placed the cup on the counter and felt gnawing on my toes. Looking down I noticed Puggles chewing on my last two toes as if they were tootsie rolls. I lifted my foot up and stuck it in her face so would be forced to lick it and not chew.

_SQUEAK!_ One of Puggles toys squeaked extremely loudly, and didn't sound that far away. I frowned staring at my dog that was still concentrating on licking my foot, she didn't even bat an eye to why her toy squeaked. Almost if she was expecting to at some point.

She was here, I was here, what-?

Oh. My. God.

I lifted my head and turned around so that I was facing over the counter that looked over to the other half of the kitchen. What stood there scared the shit out of me, but probably for the wrong reasons.

* * *

_The Fellowship…_

"Gandalf," Frodo called as he still in front of the invisible door. "I don't believe it was a password." Gandalf looked towards the small hobbit and moved to stand beside him while studying the door. "There is a handle at the far end." Frodo pointed out.

"You are right dear Frodo." Gandalf bent down to study the handle better. It did not look like much more than a handle. Soon the rest of the Fellowship noticed Gandalf and Frodo had stopped searching and came over the stand by them.

They were all unsure how to proceed seeing as they didn't know what lay inside for them. Though they could see through the mysterious door, they did not trust their eyes for who knew what sorcery was placed upon this structure. Gandalf hovered his hand over the handle and beckoned the company to step back a little, in case something were to happen. He placed his hand in the crook of the door and gently pulled and to everyone's astonishment, the door opened.

Gandalf was sure not to make any sudden movements so he continued to open the door slowly. Once the door was completely open, Gandalf stared at the interior of the structure. It seemed that there was no sorcery placed upon this structure for the interior looked the same as it did outdoors.

Placing one foot on the tile that littered the ground of the structure, Gandalf stepped inside. He felt no different than he did before, if anything, he felt warmer. He moved more into the structure and listened for any sign of movement, wondering where the woman went.

"It is safe…. for now." Gandalf beckoned the company to step inside. Aragorn went first, then Legolas, the hobbits, Gimli, and finally Boromir. Boromir seemed hesitant to close the door, but Gandalf reassured him. "Close the door Boromir, for if we wish to be unknown in this place we cannot leave any trace of entrance."

The hobbits gazed around the room in awe and fright. Large cupboards were around half the room and a counter was as long and the four hobbits stacked on top of each other. Strange metal things were atop this counter and an empty bowl that looked like it was eaten out of. Staring at the other half was a large and regal table carved out of dark mahogany wood with six chairs around it.

"What is this?" The man of Gondor whispered as he studied the room. The walls were covered in portraits of a young woman and of an older looking couple. Even a few were of the squished face dog. Though the strangest part of the room was the light that came from the ceiling. It was as bright as the tip of Gandalf's staff yet there was no source of magic coming from it.

Gimli still held tight to his ax, not really trusting Gandalf's word of safety for he was always more comfortable with a weapon in hand. He leaned around Aragorn's legs to view that the room they stood in held openings that led into adjoining rooms.

The sound of clicking against wood floors brought the company on edge. Legolas once again knocked an arrow in his bow; Aragorn drew his sword, and Gandalf as well. But once the source of the clicking came closer and closer, finally revealing itself to the company, they lowered their weapons.

The squished faced dog jumped around the company and made its way to Pippin again. Pippin's face was uncomfortable as he tried to move away from the dog. But the dog continued to follow him and jumped on its hind legs and but its front paws on Pippin's thighs.

"Get this thing away from me!" Pippin grabbed onto Merry's arm.

Merry rolled his eyes and tried pushing the dog off Pippin. "Shoo, shoo!" He whispered harshly.

The dog lapped his hand and bounced around on its legs. It began to bark loudly and it resonated off the walls. "Shut that thing up!" Boromir growled at the hobbits. "That thing will alert the rest of the place of our presences!"

The hobbits scrambled about trying to get the dog to be quiet. Even Pippin stooped down to let the dog lap his face and jump into his arms. But still the creature continued to bark, though it was more out of joy than trying to alert anyone.

"PUGGLES, HUSH!" A woman's voice bounced off the walls. The dog ignored the woman and barked a few times more before bounding off to some place.

The company was still, waiting to see if this woman would come and find her dog. But they did not hear the sound of footsteps, not even the elf could detect movement. The hobbits let out a breath and the company relaxed once more.

"How are we going to find the Ring Gandalf?" Frodo asked stepping beside him. "The woman took it with her."

Gandalf was quiet a moment. "With a certain amount of charm my dear friend."

"Someone approaches." Legolas said looking towards the area where the dog had exit. "I hear light footsteps, perhaps it is the lady."

The company shrank back from the counter to the farther side of the area. Suddenly the young woman popped into view on the other side of the room, though she did not seem to have noticed them for the room was quite large. She was dressed very oddly, her shirt dark and held the strangest depiction and her bottoms were wool and were made for a man. But its cut was baggy and the waist fit her snugly. She moved around the various cupboards in the room and ate some sort of treat that brought her great joy.

Gandalf had his back to the company but motioned to them to quietly leave the room and go to the adjoining one. Unfortunately, Pippin was moving backwards and did not see the squeaky toy behind him. He stepped on the rubber object and it let out such a loud sound that a troll probably heard it from Mordor. The company froze and watched as the woman did the same. She looked down and then up and immediately took notice to the company. First shock passed across her features then frights.

That's when everything turned to chaos.

* * *

_Celine…_

I stared at the nine figures that stood in my kitchen. Puggles was still chewing on my toe, not bothered by the presence in the room. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, but the figures were still there. I slapped my hand over my mouth and spit out the brownie that was in my mouth and threw the remaining amount into the trash.

I stood back up and the figures still stared at me. "Oh my God," I whispered putting a hand to my throat. "there is marijuana in the brownies." It was the only logical explanation for my hallucinations. I was high.

"Peace child we bring no-." The elder gentleman clothed in gray robes stepped towards me and I did the most logical thing, I screamed.

"They're talking! Oh my God, oh my God." I was beginning to hyperventilate. I ran to the cupboard and tugged out the brownies and through them all in the trash. "Where in the world did my mom's co-worker get marijuana? Think Celine think, ingesting marijuana won't kill you right? Oh I wished I paid attention to those lessons in school!"

"Please my Lady, peace." Another man stepped forward with his hands raised. What freaked me out was his sword at his waist and his medieval clothing. "We merely wish to speak."

"Oh mother, forgive me." I put both my hands over my face. "It was an accident, I swear!"

The men exchanged glances and the second man continued to walk towards me and stood across from me with the counter separating us. My hands were still over my face and I didn't notice the man reach out to touch me. I felt the brush of skin on my arm and I snapped my head up.

My jaw dropped as I made a terrible mistake. "What?" I breathed; I looked down at his hand, then back to his face. "You are real?"

The man nodded slowly. "Aye milady. We do not mean-."

I slapped him.

Hard.

Like, incredibly hard.

Right across the face.

The man brought his hand up to his face and I quickly bolted to the other countertop that held the kitchen knives in this wooden box. As soon as the slap resonated in the room, the rest of the group bolted closer. I yanked out the largest knife from the stand and turned back towards the group. I finally took the time to analyze the group.

The group was a mixture of young children and older gentlemen. They were all dressed in garbs that definitely came from the Halloween store and had a variety of weapons across their persons. I am no expert, but I would say they were real. Though for some odd reason the older man carried a tall stick, a really dumb-ass weapon if you ask me. What was even weirder would be the dwarf that was in the group, and he had a weird helmet thing on.

I would be lying if I didn't say there weren't any incredibly handsome men in the group. Though most of them were dirty and covered in snow, one blonde male looked like he just walked out of an Abercrombie &amp; Fitch ad.

But I don't care how cute you are, you broke into my house, I don't care if your Bill Gates, you can be sure as hell that I'm going to call the police.

Unless you were Morgan Freeman, I'd probably offer him a cup of hot chocolate.

"My Lady we wish you no harm." The man with Jesus hair stepped around the counter and moved closer to me. Though he held his hands up, as if I were pointing a gun at him, it didn't offer me any comfort. I don't know if this guy had a death wish because I was holding an incredibly large kitchen knife, and I had no qualms stabbing him with it.

"Do not move any closer." I growled narrowing my eyes.

"Ha!" The dwarf grinned and looked up at me. "Go ahead lassie, you think you'll beat him with yer letter opener!" The dwarf gestured towards the sword that was strapped to the man's hip.

"Perhaps not," I pulled my arm back by my head and aimed at the man. "but he is a rather large target, how much do you wanna bet I can hit his heart."

I didn't even notice the blonde elf draw an arrow, nock it, and pulled the string taught as he pointed it at my head. "You do and it will be the last thing you accomplish."

I gave him an exasperated look. "Where the hell do you get a bow and arrow!" The blonde ignored me as the Jesus man turned to him and said something in a sweet language, that sounded really close to French, and the blonde lowered his bow. The Jesus man turned back to me and I raised a brow, he was an idiot.

"Wrong move." I said and I let the knife fly towards man as I bolted out of the kitchen. I didn't even see if the knife hit him but I assumed it didn't as I heard a clang on the tile. "Puggles!" I shouted, calling my dog as I sprinted to the sitting room. Puggles ran through the house and found me rather quickly. I scooped her up and made my way through various rooms as I heard the people shout to one another and the pounding of feet through different rooms.

I struggled with running and carrying my overweight dog, but I was not leaving my dog to be killed by a bunch of psychopaths. I looked around the wall of one room and noticed the second staircase in my house, if I could get to that, I can get to my room where a phone is.

Looking around once more I bolted to staircase but at the same time one of the children ran out from behind a hallway corner and collided with my legs. We both fell and the small child looked at me with fright. He was frightened?! HE WAS FRIGHTENED?! How about not breaking into my house if it scares you that much!

I landed on my side, having to release Puggles, who landed safely on the wooden floor. She looked at me then bolted up the staircase.

Some guard dog she was.

"Frodo!" I heard a male call and I saw the man with the large shield as we caught each other's eyes. I got up so fast and sprinted towards the carpeted staircase and skipped as many steps as I could, wanting as much distance between those people as possible.

Suddenly I found myself on my stomach as I turned to see the shield-man grabbed my ankle and tried to tug me back down. I twisted around and started kicking wildly, getting him to release me. "Let. Go!" My bare feet were doing minimal damage against him but at one point I managed to get enough force to kick him at his chest and knocked him back down the stairs.

"Aragorn, she is here!" The child shouted as the shield-man tumbled down the stairs. I scrambled back to my feet and ran the rest of the way up the stairs. I bolted through a large hallway but skidded to a stop as the dwarf stood in front of me with quite a large ax in his hand.

"Ah, you won't be able to escape from this dwarf!" The dwarf cried with a thick accent. I held one hand in front of me, as if that would stop him from advancing.

"Y-you should know my family and I exercise our 2nd Amendment right!" I stuttered backing up. The dwarf either wasn't afraid of guns, or didn't care.

Or he knew I was bluffing.

Either way I'm screwed.

So I did the only thing I knew how to do.

Run.

I bolted down another hallway and made my way through the maze of hallways. Thankfully the dwarf was too fat to keep up. And I was at an advantage; I grew up in this house so I knew where every hall led.

I was running and kept glancing behind my back to check that no dwarf, man, or child was following me. What happened next was a third grader move, no one did this anymore. The blonde male was behind a corner, thus concealing him from my sight. He stuck his bow out a smidge that I didn't even notice it until I tripped over it and gave my face a rug burn.

Turning onto my back I stared up at the man with a glare. "That was a childish move."

He knocked and drew his bow and raised a brow. "It worked." He pointed the bow at me and my eyes grew wide as I realized he was going to shoot me. A blur of tan covered my vision as Puggles ran atop my tummy. She growled and bared her teeth at the bowman and barked as viciously as she could.

The bowman of course didn't flinch; he never even broke eye contact with me, until I did. I sat up very quickly, grabbing Puggles and turning my back towards him. I was not going to let him shoot my dog.

I held Puggles in my arms as she looked over my shoulder and continued to growl at the man. I waited form him to release the arrow, but he didn't. Or I was in so much shock I didn't feel it hit. Puggles no longer growled as she watched the bowman lower his weapon. I still wasn't looking, just whispering sweet nothing's to my dog.

"My lady?" I turned around to face the blonde; I had to look up since I was still on my butt.

I narrowed my eyes. "Well, if you're going to shoot, then shoot. Just don't hit my dog."

The blonde shook his head. "Nay, my lady, I will not shoot a helpless woman."

"Fine, that makes it a lot easier for me." I released my dog and jumped up and reached towards a decorative vase that I knew was worth more than my life insurance, but there was no point. The blonde quickly reached out and grabbed my arm. I yanked with all my might but his grip was firm. He spun me around and captured my other arm and basically cantered me back into his chest. Thus, completely making me immobile and not having any way of kicking him. He trapped my arms in each of his hands and he thought he had me.

Idiot forgot about my skull.

I whipped my head back and caught his jaw and I prayed that it hurt him as much as it hurt me. But his grip held tight, it was as if I threw a pillow at him and he remained unfazed. "Aragorn!" He called as I continued to try to whip my arms out of his grip.

I could hear the heavy footfalls coming closer and soon Jesus-face appeared down the hall and he rushed over to the blonde and I. I kicked one leg out to try to prevent him from coming any closer, but I missed.

"My lady we hold no ill will towards you. Cease your struggles, let us speak civilly with one another." The man said holding my shoulders.

I stopped thrashing and poised myself. "Fine. Fine, I'm calm. Let's talk."

"She's lying." The blonde said still holding my wrists.

"How would you know?!" I snapped still looking at the brunette man seeing as I could not turn.

"Your right arm twitched."

"Its gonna do a lot more than twitch once you unhand me." I snapped attempting to yank it out again. The man in front of me shook his head and exchanged a few words with the blonde in that weird language again. The blonde nodded and moved both my wrists into one hand, and somehow he still managed to keep an iron grip on them, as he produced a thick rope.

Oh hell no.

My thrashing moments were over as the brunette held me still as the blonde tied my wrist tightly together. "Are you serious?!" I cried trying to yank my arms out of his hands as he tied them but he ignored me was his fingers moved quickly. The knots were small yet held strong and once he done, he grabbed my upper arm.

"Let us speak with the others." The blonde said to the other. "For she is subdued and no longer a threat."

"You wanna bet!" I snapped. "I could still claw your eyes out it-hey!" I yelled as the blonde scooped me up and throw me over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll walk no problem!" I protested, but my voice fell onto deaf ears as the two men once again conversing in their strange language. I pounded my tied wrists on the blondes back but even I knew that it would only feel like a toddler whacking you.

They descended the stairs and walked towards the living room where I assumed everyone was gathered. The blonde dumped me, no joke, dumped me onto the large plush sofa. I scrambled to face the right way and on my butt as I came face to face with the nine men.

"Now," The old man started. "seeing as this silly game of chase has ceased, let us speak." The small children were gazing at me from across the room, they probably though I was staring at them, but I wasn't. Let's just say I saw a certain porky princess happily licking the feet of the children.

What the heck was going on?

* * *

A/N: Well that concludes this chapter! Sorry for so many different points of view! Next chapter will be all from Celine's point of view. Please review and tell me what you think of this story so far!


	3. This is a Toilet

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite this story! It makes me so happy to see people reading this! Well, I have the next chapter for you so I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you'd rather have third person point of view or first person is working for you. I'm not completely convinced and I would like to hear what you all think.

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Though the old man bid me to speak, all I could do was stare at the strangely clad men. Reasons: One, I was absolutely terrified; two, my hands were tied; and three, the little children were shoving by dog away with their really large, and really gross, feet.

"My lady we apol-." The old man in grey robes started to speak but I cut him off.

"I honestly have nothing of value." I said raising my tied hands. "My parents jewelry box is in the safe and even I don't have the code for it. Mine is upstairs, no lock needed to take that. But honestly most of the stuff is cheap, like Claire's cheap." The men exchanged glances but the children were no longer interested in the scene happening. They were more engrossed with my family's extremely large, and elegantly decorated Christmas tree.

"Pippin, why is there a tree inside? Seems kind of silly." A curly haired brunette asked craning his head up to look at the top. He seemed to be even smaller as he stood next to the 9-foot tree.

"I don't know Merry…. it smells nice though." The one called Pippin leaned forward to sniff it better but the burly dwarf yanked him back before he could get too close.

"Do not get so close to the witch's tree young hobbits!" He pulled them away and sent a glare in my direction. "For the spells she has cast on this place seems strange and powerful. She has managed to capture small forms of the sun and strapped them to her ceiling, a most dangerous spell."

"Child, please." The old man began again as I glanced back towards him. He moved to take a step closer to me and I just about threw my body against the back of the sofa. Noticing my reluctance to be approached, the old man stopped, and for some reason had a look of pity on his face. "Would you feel more comfortable if we were at a distance?" I stared at him for a moment before I nodded. "Perhaps we may sit?" Gandalf gestured to the other sofa and a few chairs and leg rests around the large room.

What kind of person asks for permission before they kill someone? Gonna ask me if I'm totally okay with being gutted? How considerate.

"Um, sure." I gestured again with my tied hands and the taller of the group exchanged glances before they all moved to take a seat in the surrounding area. The small children and the dwarf were still looking around the room, though they all had their hands firmly behind their back not wanting to touch anything. But they looked as if they were searching for something.

"My name is Gandalf the Grey and these are members of my company; Aragorn son of Arathon, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, Boromir son of Denethor," Then he motioned to the shorted portion of their company. "the dwarf is Gimli son of Gloin, and the hobbits are Peregrin Took, Meridoc Brandybuck, Samwise Gamgee, and Frodo Baggins."

Well basically everything he just said sounded like he was trying to speak to me in Mandarin Chinese.

I mean, how did they expect me to react, first of all, I recognized about like 3 of those names from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. And not to mention that he threw in three extra names of dads that weren't even here.

Oh shit unless they are in some other part of my house.

"May we perhaps hear your name milady?" Jesus hair- I mean _Aragorn_ said to me.

I glanced around the group as they obviously waited for me to introduce myself. What did they want to say? Should I indulge them and say my name is Saruman or like El-rod er- Elrond? Cut me some slack I did not read any of the books.

"My name is Rumpelstiltskin."

The hobbits, or children really, still weren't coming to close to me, but they were listening to the conversation now. "That's kind of a long name." Pippin whispered to Merry.

Like Meridoc Brandybuck wasn't a mouthful?!

"I know it's a shocker." I said continuing. "Surprise, Rumpelstiltskin's not a boy! I spun the hay into gold for the maiden! Yup and instead of her first child I asked for her pug." I said pointing to my dog whom was currently dragging her butt on the floor.

The company said nothing as they glanced at Puggles and then back to me, looking a little off-put at my reveal. "Oh I'm sorry, I thought we were using fairy tale names. Did another player already take that one?" My sass was probably going to get me killed.

"I do not understand you child." The old man- my bad, _Gandalf_, said. "But no matter, we have come to your home because we seem to have misplaced one of our belongings. You might have mistakenly picked it up."

"Dude, I haven't even been outside my house all day." I grumbled.

"Nay, we saw you take what was ours into this place." The blonde looked at me with his deep blue eyes. He was neither smiling nor frowning; he just looked at me like he was accusing me of the most heinous crime.

Literally, what the hell?

My face paled as dread filled my body. They had cameras in my house?! They've been watching me change, bathe, sing at a God-awful pitch?!

"Your dog had found a…. ring of ours in the woods." Aragorn gestured to the trees that were visible through the windows. It was still snowing quite heavily, making it nearly impossible to see much of the scenery that lay outdoors.

"Ring?" I scrunched up my face trying to remember what-. Oh. "That thing on the chain?!" I squeaked.

"Yes, where have you put it?" Boromir finally spoke addressing me, though he was much more harsh than the others. He definitely looked to be the most uneasy out of the four, his eyes kept darting back and forth as if something was going to jump out from behind the Christmas tree.

"Why didn't you just ring the doorbell?" I exclaimed throwing my bound hands in the air. "This could have been handled civilly!"

Aragorn hesitated, as if he was trying to understand what I had just said. "We saw no bell upon your door." Aragorn said looking at Gandalf than back at me.

I was getting real tired of their shit.

"So," I stopped not knowing how to go about my question without it being so blunt. "you're not going to kill me?"

"Nay milady. We apologize for giving you the impression that we were hunting you." Aragorn said. "We will leave you be, all we ask is that you return what is ours."

"Um, I don't have it." Before the Abercrombie &amp; Fitch model could argue with me, I clarified what I meant. "No I really mean it, I wasn't able to touch it. Puggles grabbed it and wouldn't let go. She ran off with it, but if you'll let me, I'll check her toy box. She usually throws anything she finds in there." I pointed to the corner of the room. They all nodded and I stood up and walked over to it, still glancing back over my shoulder to make sure they didn't follow. They all stayed put watching me.

The small children and dwarf finally made their way back to the group seeing as I was no longer so close. Puggles, noticing that I was on my knees in front of her toy box. I moved a bunch of her squeaky toys out of the way and made my way to the bottom.

No jewelry.

I gulped and kind of froze. Now what? "Well, what are ye' waiting for?!" The dwarf called from where he sat on the sofa with his short little legs hanging off the front.

I turned around and gave them a hopeless shrug. "I'm sorry but… it's not here. I don't know where she put it." The men frowned and began talking in hushed voices. I rubbed my wrists against the bindings, but they still would not budge.

My eyes wandered the room as they all spoke in hushed voices and you can bet your ass that I was not just going to sit here and miss this opportunity. Looking over to my left, I saw one of the landline phones sitting atop one of the living room pieces of furniture.

I had one chance, and one chance only. I swung my legs in front of me, as if I was trying to find a more comfortable sitting position, but it actuality, I was getting ready to run for the phone. It was just three numbers, simple and quick. No problem.

I jumped up on to my feet and ran the few yards to the phone and snatched it up with my hand. But as soon as I leapt to my feet, the company whipped their heads back in my direction. The phone was in my hand and I was able to press the "9" before someone leapt at me and knocked me to the ground. It was one of the small children surprisingly. Gandalf had shouted for me to stop, so being the closest ones to my body, they reached me first.

Despite me falling onto my back, I clutched the phone in my hand and kicked the small human in the face and I rolled onto my stomach and pressed the "1." I had one number left and I thought I was going to make, but I was incredibly wrong. A sudden weight was upon my back as if someone just sat on me. Growling I tried to some how move beneath this person but they were much stronger than I.

A hand shot out in front of me and grabbed by bound hands and pushed my hands roughly to the carpet. The phone fell out of my grip and I watched in horror as it bounced once and landed feet away. For some reason the dwarf thought the phone would sprout legs and attack him, so he quickly brought his ax down upon the device and broke it into many pieces. My jaw dropped as I saw the plastic crack apart and left pieces all around the floor.

The old man moved towards me and I had to crane my neck up high to even see a fourth of his face. "Miss Rumpelstiltskin, we have tried to be reasonable with you. But time and time again you fight us. If you will not cooperate then we will not be so courteous."

I narrowed my eyes and ground my teeth, still thrashing from beneath the person who was testing how much weight my ribs could handle before they cracked. Completely ignoring the part where he actually had the audacity to call me Rumpelstiltskin, I went off on him. "Courteous?! COURTEOUS?! Like hell you've been courteous! Barge into my home, attack me, bind me, and now sit on me?!" The man still held my hands in front of me, pinned to the carpet. "If you really want to be courteous. Then. Just. Leave!"

"Not until we have what is ours. I have lost my patience with you child, Aragorn bind her legs. We do not want anymore surprises." Gandalf turned away and moved back towards the sofa, but much slower than before. He was moving around the room, looking at the portraits of my family on the wall, the little knick-knacks around the room, and the large television that sat off to the side.

I continued to kick trying to avoid Aragorn's hands and grunted while trying the shake off the person sitting on me. "Tie me up all you want! I will be fighting you until I am dead!" Aragorn managed to bind my ankles; though he tried to be gentle about it I still didn't like him.

Once the person got off me, I rolled onto my back and saw that Legolas stared down as he towered over me. "You bring this upon yourself my lady. Truly, we wish you no harm."

I struggled into a sitting position, having to really work my abdominal muscles. Before I could even spit back a comment, the hobbits shrieked as the grandfather clock struck 9 and the chime went off, echoing loudly. That and since the Christmas tree lights were on a timer, the ginormous tree lit up in beautiful yellow-ish white lights. The train that wrapped around the skirt of the Christmas tree also turned on. Inside the trains were small, little; wooden-painted children that began to sign "The Little Drummer Boy." Hearing the sound and being surprised by the lights, the men drew their swords, the blonde raised his bow, and the dwarf held his ax high. While the situation would have been quite hilarious, is just made me even angrier that they were continuing their act.

"What is this witchcraft?!" Boromir said turning every direction as he looked around for some sort of enemy. Or that's at least what I assumed.

The clock continued to ding; it would do so until it rang nine times. "It's her!" The dwarf cried walking towards me with his ax. "I say we toss her out, get rid of the witch!" I tried to scramble back to avoid the sharp edge of his ax.

"It's not me you idiot!" I shouted still trying to move backwards. "It's on a timer! Everything is on a timer! Every night at 9 o'clock the tree lights up and the creepy kids sing! Jesus! At least have a valid reason to kill me!"

The children in the train were still singing and the Grandfather clock was slowly finishing its chime. The children drew close to the other men but watched in fascination as the train went around the tree at a slow pace. They gawked at what they had assumed was "magic" that powered the strange object. Though they cringed at certain portions of the song, they much preferred their own songs that this noise that was playing.

Gandalf strode quickly to me and put his stick in front of Gimli to stop his advances. He held a very grave expression while to glanced for the millionth time around the room. "I think we have all been avoiding a key question that should have been asked. Pray tell Miss Rumpelstiltskin, what is our approximate location to the Misty Mountains."

Again with the Rumpelstiltskin.

"Appalachian." I said. "You mean Appalachian Mountains, and I have no idea. It's not something I take the time to study."

"I have never heard of this App-pal-la-shin Mountains." Boromir replied slowly, trying to pronounce the word as it sounded very foreign to him. He still looked at me with a distrustful expression, which I was more than happy to return.

"Okay look we're in Maine." I rushed out hoping that Gandalf would accept my answer and keep Gimli at bay. "There are no Misty Mountains here. I'm pretty sure that's in New Zealand. If it even exists, I don't watch "behind the scenes" footage."

"Oh enough of your trickery!" The dwarf cried but Gandalf still held him back while silently contemplating what I had just said. His mouth dropped slightly as if a sudden realization came to him. As if this whole day of confusion could be settled with one small answer.

"What is the day?" Gandalf said urgently.

"Uh, December 15, 2014." I said getting everyone's attention. "I think. I don't really keep track."

"It cannot be." Gandalf muttered stepping away from Gimli and walked slowly back over to the sofa and lowered himself. "Saruman's magic did more than cause the Pass of Caradhras to become violent. Saruman triggered an event, which led to another." He paused. "My friends, we longer reside in Middle Earth."

Silence.

The only sound that could be heard was Puggles chewing on her rawhide having lost interest in the children's toes.

"What do you mean?" A brunette child asked with piercing blue eyes. He looked lost and seemed to be weighed down more that the others. Though he held the height of a child, one glance into his eyes and it was as if it swirled with all sorts of memories and hardships.

"It means exactly what I said my dear Frodo." Gandalf replied. "There are tales of old describing the various realms that exist beyond Arda. But it is all speculation, for the magic to take oneself there is extremely complex and no one has been able to accomplish it."

"How does one return?" Aragorn moved to sit across from Gandalf.

"I do not know." Gandalf replied looking defeated. "I know not the realm we exist in, but it would explain the strangeness of this land. What we once knew no longer exists. The lands and customs here are completely different from our own." Gandalf turned to look at me. "As it's inhabitants."

Wow, this guy was really delusional. He's taking cosplay a little too far.

"It is the only explanation for this turn of events." Continued Gandalf. "We have strayed far from our realm."

"If that be true, how can we return? For our quest holds the fate of all of Middle Earth. We have little time to delay." Legolas said.

"I have no answer for that master elf." The old man sighed. "I know nothing of this land, I must research and know the whereabouts of our location. I will go back to the woods once dawn has risen again and I will seek out the answer we need. For now, we must rest. But first, we must strike a deal." He swiveled his head back to look at me, standing up once more. He really need to decide whether he wished to sit or stand.

"Lady Rumpelstiltskin, perhaps we may come to an agreement." I said nothing and he took that as reason to continue. "Allow us stay in your home, explain to me this realm you reside in, and we shall unbind your limbs."

"What?!" I screeched. "How is that a fair trade?!"

"It is this or nothing." The old man grinned knowing that I truly had no choice in the matter, and he was right. I bit my lip actually considering the offer. I knew even if I said no they would not leave my home, I had to agree, but that didn't mean I wouldn't implement my own rules.

"Fine, on one condition." I said holding up one finger. "I have rules that I wish to implement." Gandalf nodded for me to continue. "One, do not break anything else." I jerked my thumb over to the remaining bits of plastic that came from the phone. "Better yet, don't touch anything. If you're really going to stick to your role then I would hope you ask me before you go picking up anything. And secondly, no weapons."

"If we are to agree to your terms, then you will obey ours?" I hesitated before nodding in conformation.

"Very well, I shall hold you to your word. Legolas." The old man gestured to me and the blonde stooped down to untie my ankles first, then moved to my back and did the same with my wrists. Once he was done, he offered me a hand up, which I smacked away and stood up on my own.

As I got to my feet, I stared at the group. "Now you agreed to my rule. Get rid of your weapons." The group exchanged weary glances, all except for Gandalf who seemed unnaturally cheerful.

"That we did, come my friends. We need not our weapons this night." Gandalf turned and motioned to the various swords and axes. "Where would you have us put them?"

"Give them to me, I'll but them in a closet or something." I shrugged walking towards Aragorn who had already unstrapped his weapon.

"Are you sure we cannot assist my lady? They are not all elvish made."

"Nah, I got-." As Aragorn put the sword in my hand, I nearly dropped it. It was so heavy to be honest I could barely hold it. "You seriously got the real deal?!" I exclaimed struggling to hold the weapon. Aragorn held his hands out slightly probably in case I dropped it. "I take it back. You carry your weapons." I attempted to lift it and give it back to him, but he smiled slightly and stepped closer to lift it from my arms.

I stepped away and waved the group towards me. "Follow me." I turned around and walked out of the living room, into the neighboring piano room, down three steps, and into the entrance area. The men followed me and watched me as I opened a large closet door that was pretty empty. "Just put them on the ground or something, I don't really care." I stepped away from the closet and one by one; the men deposited their weapons into the closet.

"Hey Merry."

"What Pippin?"

"I'm hungry."

I glanced back to the small children and I actually felt a small tug at my heart. They were obviously still freezing as they slightly shook where they stood and their clothes were still wet. As much as I didn't want too, and I knew that these people did not deserve an ounce of charity from me, I still gave it to them.

"Well," I said sighing and rubbing my temples. "since you will be here for the night, I would prefer none of you die from the cold. I don't want to somehow turn this situation into murder or something. If you'd like to get changed out of your wet clothes and shower or something, I can show to one of the many guests bathrooms."

"We do not wish to intrude too much my lady." Aragorn spoke once more shaking his head.

"Too late for that." I muttered under my breath, the only reaction to that was from the elf who seemed to narrow his eyes even more at me.

"Its fine." I said louder so they could all hear me.

Though really it wasn't.

"My mom would kill me if I didn't treat guest hospitably." I paused and turned to walk up the stairs but turned over my shoulder to see that none of them were moving. "Honestly if you think I'm going to kill you or something, you don't have to worry. I think my demonstrations with your sword should be quite comforting."

Aragorn chuckled slightly and motioned for the group to follow. All of them walked up the stairs behind me and I lead them down a large hallway that held four doors facing each other. "Okay, well these are four different guest rooms. There are more down that hallway. See the three doors on the right? Those are also available. Don't go wandering around though opening every door, you'll get lost."

I opened one of the doors and urged them to follow me into the excessively large room. They were all finely furnished and held large windows not only on the walls but also in the ceiling.

A door was off to the left side of the room and I opened it to reveal a large glass shower with tile flooring that could easily fit six people. On the other side stood a large bathtub that could probably fit a baby whale. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration.

Oh course there was a toilet to the side, two sinks, large cupboard with white fluffy towels, embarrassing pictures of me as a child, blah, blah, blah.

"The layout of each bathroom is the same, so I don't think I need to show you the other ones." I said flicking the light switch on which startled the company. "Chill," I said flicking the light switch on and off. "light switches won't kill you either."

"How are you doing this milady?" Gandalf said pushing to the front of the group to watch me flick the light switch.

I sighed; I was not about to explain electricity to these morons. If they want to stick to their character, FINE! Just don't make me explain every single little detail. "Look, I can't provide any scientific facts. Just watch." I flicked the switch up, the lights turned on. I flicked the switch down, the lights went off. "Simple enough right? Not rocket science."

I moved to the side and let the rest of the group come and stare at the oh-so-amazing light switch. I tapped my foot impatiently as Gandalf switched the lights on and off a few times which started to give me a terrible headache.

"What's that?" I turned to look at Pippin as he pointed to the toilet. Merry was beside him pulling out the toilet paper slowly and watching it unravel, then repeating the action. "Is this where you get your water?" Pippin stuck his head closer to the toilet bowl and I immediately marched over and yanked him away.

"Do NOT," I stressed pointing to the toilet bowl. "drink from that." Though honestly I've heard toilet water isn't necessarily super dirty, I just think it would cause an unnecessary illness. "Please do not make me explain this-and Merry stop pulling out all the toilet paper!" I snapped at him and to which he stopped his movements.

"How does this work?" Boromir said as he stood near the glass doors of the shower. He hesitated before placing his palm against the glass but was satisfied to see that nothing happened.

"Oh for the love of God, are you seriously gonna need me to explain all this?" I threw my hands in the air but seeing as none of them replied, I gritted my teeth and gave a stiff nod. "Fine, but I'm not censoring anything." I marched over to the shower door and pulled it open. I stepped through to where the handle was on the far side of the wall. "This, is where you are going to control the water and its temperature." I turned the lever up while trying to flatten myself against the wall to avoid any water from being splashed on me. "This "C" here means cold, and the "H" means hot. If you forget what they mean just ask." I spat out sarcastically as I shut the water off. The company looked at the shower in awe, completely shocked at this new mechanism.

I stepped outside the shower and patted my feet on the fluffy carpet that was outside it. I moved to the bathtub and flipped the silver handle in the tub to stop water from being drained. "This will stop the water from being drained." I pointed to the small silver handle. "And these two control the water. The blue line means cold and the red one means hot. Simple." I turned them on to show them and they looked almost as shocked as they did with the shower.

Moving to the sinks, I demonstrated the same thing. I pointed the towels out to them and turned around and nodded. "Any more questions?"

Pippin nervously raised his hand and I rolled my eyes and gestured for him to ask. "You never explained that." He pointed to the toilet that he so desperately wanted to drink from.

"You really want me to explain that?" Surprisingly the entire company nodded their heads. I held my head high and tried to keep a blush from staining me cheeks. Talking about poop in a serious conversation is beyond awkward, even at 26. I moved to the toilet and sighed before I spoke. "This, is where you shit."

Wow, blunt.

Not giving them a moment to even remark about what I just said I pointed to the toilet paper. "Use this to wipe your ass once your done shitting. Then this silver handle," I pressed down and the toilet flushed. "is to get rid of said shit. Got it?"

I finally turned to look at them in the face and they all looked extremely uncomfortable and the children were avoiding my eyes. "Okay, well put your clothes in the basket in the closet and I'll wash them once I'm done. I assume you have things to change into?" They nodded still not wishing to speak after such a strange conversation. "Good. I'll be in the kitchen making dinner. Don't expect a gourmet meal." I swiftly turned on my heel and marched out of the bathroom with no regrets.

* * *

A/N: Well I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's kinda short but I wanted to end it at a reasonable place. So next chapter will definitely be interesting, Celine will finally realize that the company isn't a bunch of die-hard fans. It will be quite amusing to see Celine's reaction, but trust me; I'm not the kind of author that makes her characters faint at every shocking reveal.

Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter! Sorry if there were any spelling mistakes, I just wanted to publish this as soon as I could for you guys. I tried to catch most of them but I'm sure I missed a few.

Until next time!


	4. Forget It

A/N: Thank you all to who favorite/followed/reviewed my last chapter! I love seeing the support I receive on this fanfic! Please continue to review, I really appreciate it! I'll even start responding to them!

KrystylSky: Aw, glad to see you love it! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

animesarecool: Glad you find this funny! Not a lot of people have my sense of humor!

LovelyBoA: Well here's another update! I hope you enjoy it!

Schlangenkind: Thank you so much for the lengthy review! I totally understand where you're coming from with Gandalf kind of giving Celine an ultimatum. It was hard for me to think of some sort of legit excuse for them to stay. As for the Legomance part, I'm an author that does not believe that love between two completely different character happens at first glance. This romance with take time, before even one romantic action to kick in they have to first become acquaintances and then eventually friends. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Kodami: I'm really happy that you find this funny! Not a lot of people have my sense of humor!

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!

TJTwigg: I'm glad you like it! I definitely plan on continuing it! I have no set schedule because I'm also trying to finish another fanfic! Hope you like this chapter too!

Cinderelee: I definitely want to make this a fanfic about the Fellowship, making Celine interact with everyone. So I'm happy you enjoy this and I hope you like this chapter!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Never had I wanted so badly to smash my skull on my marble kitchen counter. Nine unknown men spending the night at my house searching for some dumb piece of jewelry, that my dog decided would be her new favorite toy, and said toy was now lost in the abyss of my parents house. If situation had even the slightest possibility of getting stranger, I wouldn't believe it.

I had just escaped the eyes of the morons who gave me the pleasure of explaining the shit machine that resides in every household. I was staring stupidly at the countertop not really knowing how to fix my current predicament. By no means was I comfortable with this company, not even close. Though most of them seemed to have the tiniest amount of manners, I believe it was just them trying to maintain character. These Tolkien fanatics are taking this shit storm a little to far. Like, oh my God, if they say "Lady Rumpelstiltskin" one more time, I'm going the stab someone with a fork.

"Lady Rumpelstiltskin?"

I raised my eyes to the ceiling with a frown on my face. "You're testing me God aren't you? Testing to see if I'll go through with my threat?" Whipping my head around I saw the concerned look of an old man. He was still holding his walking stick because I'm not that much of an asshole to take away the handicap of an old man.

"What is it?" I asked, well actually more like snapped at him. He obviously had not taken a shower because I just descended the stairs a few moments ago.

"I came to offer my sincerest apologies." He said moving to sit at one of the stools that were around the counter top in front of me. He took off his strange wizard looking gray hat and placed it on the counter. "It is not within our nature to seem so harsh and intrusive. I hope you will not think too ill of us. We will not stay more than this night, we shall find our trinket and be out of your household by tomorrow."

I blinked once, than twice, and then a third time, trying to figure out how I should respond. To be completely honest, he was one of the few that I was actually okay with, I mean not completely mind you. Its just that aura around old men make them seem as threatening as a mouse. "I mean, I would usually say 'It's fine' and 'its no problem', but I would obviously be lying. But….I can deal with it."

"That is all we could ever ask of you." Gandalf said nodding as he watched me move around the kitchen. I pulled open the freezer drawer of the refrigerator and frowned as I tried to decide what would feed five men and four children. I pulled out two frozen pizzas and a bag of chicken nuggets. Decent.

"Pray tell, what is that?" Gandalf ask peering over the counter and looking at the freezer drawer. "It emits very cold air, I have seen nothing like it in all my existence."

I sighed and shut the freezer and placed its contents on the countertop. "It's a freezer."

"A free-zur…. what magic possesses it to contain such cool temperatures?" Though the drawer was shut, Gandalf continued to look at it, as if we were waiting for another gust of cold to whoosh from underneath it.

I leaned over the oven top and tapped the oven's controls so it would preheat to 350 degrees to cook the pizza and chicken nuggets. "Electricity, I guess." Bending over, I reached below to one of the neighboring cupboards to withdraw 3 metal trays to cook the food.

"Hmm…. elec-tri-sit-ee." Gandalf murmured stroking his beard slightly. "Please explain-."

"Honestly I don't even think I should try." I cut him off before he could finish his question. "I am no engineer."

"I am afraid I do not understand-."

I turned around and held up my hand in front of me, motioning him to stop. "Forget it. Just forget it." I continued moving my way around the kitchen, putting the pizzas and the chicken nuggets on the trays. As I grabbed quite a few glasses and set them on the counter, I glanced over my shoulder to see Gandalf in the neighboring room examining the Christmas tree.

What were these people's fascination with my Christmas tree?

Opening the fridge I looked for some sort of liquid to fill all the glasses. They all deserve tap water, but I have a soul and won't succumb them to that fate.

Yet.

"Europeans like carbonated stuff right?" I whispered to myself, I had been to Europe twice and nearly gagged on their carbonated water. Maybe I'm just stereotyping them, I don't know. Grabbing a liter of Coke-Zero, which I bought myself because my parents did not believe in this glorious drink.

I kicked the refrigerator door shut and moved to the glasses and unscrewed the top of the soda bottle. I put the cap on the counter and looked at the glasses. I picked one up and frowned, quickly looking around the kitchen and made sure no one was around. I opened the cabinet below the sink and pulled out a bag of Milk Bones. I did even need to say anything; one shake of this bag and Puggles came sprinting down one of the staircases. She soon produced herself right next to me wagging her tail across the kitchen floor.

I put the glass down by Puggles face who I knew would lick anything. If she can lick dirty human limbs she would have no problem with a clean glass.

"Puggles," I cooed trying to get her attention. "Mummy wants you to lick this glass." Puggles, being the uncooperative pug that she is, completely ignored and kept her gaze focused on the bag of Milk Bones. "Puggles, you'll get one, just lick this glass and eight more. I'll give you nine Milk Bones if you do." I moved the glass closer to her face, to which she moved away.

"What are you doing?" I jumped so badly I smashed my skull on the open drawer that was above me, causing me to cry out in pain. I bit my tongue though, realizing that I have probably cursed enough tonight to send my mother straight into a coma.

Pressing my hand against the back of my skull did little to ease that pain, but it was comforting in its own way. I moved out from underneath the drawer and drew myself back up to my full height. Three of the children were standing in one of the doorways of the kitchen looking at me with a confused expression. It was the slightly chubby one, Sam I assumed, with two of the curly haired cousins, Merry and Pippin.

"Nothing." I squeaked standing back up and putting the glass in the sink. Plan ruined. The children just continued to watch me as I shoved the food in the oven. They looked uncomfortable and slightly frightened by the oven. I sighed and moved back to the glasses and began to pour soda into each one.

"You like soda I'm sure." I more of stated than asked as and began to pour the third one. "I could give you milk but I don't think it would be that good with chicken nuggets." I screwed the cap on and grabbed the glasses, having a little difficulty with three of them, and placed them on the counter with the bar stools.

The children hesitated before moving to the barstools and climbing up them. I moved away back to the over side and set a timer on the oven.

"It's bubbling Merry." Pippin whispered taking a whiff of the drink.

Merry stuck his finger into the drink slowly, testing to see if the drink was somehow poisonous and would burn off the skin.

"Quit that!" Sam hissed at the two while smacking Pippin who was sitting to his left and was still sniffing the dark liquid.

"Well do you want to first check if its poison!" Merry bit back while removing his finger. Sam looked uneasy but said nothing as he didn't want to be the first one to test it.

"Its alright, I can solve this." Pippin said patting Merry's arm before turning his attention back to me. "Um, excuse me? Lady Rumpelstiltskin?"

These mother-.

I bit my tongue and turned around and faced the children again. "What?"

"Do you perhaps have ale instead?"

"PIPPIN!" Sam and Merry cried while moving to cover his mouth with his hands. My jaw dropped at his boldness.

"Okay wait hold up." I said holding my hands up and shaking my head. "I am not serving alcohol to minors, you are in this country which means you have to obey our laws. Just like me. You guys are not gonna bring to down into this mess that you started."

"There is a rule on drinking?" Pippin asked when Sam and Merry finally relented their hands.

"Yeah, 21 and up." I grunted while moving back to the counter and grabbing a Milk Bone to which Puggles was still staring intently at.

"Oh, that seems silly." Pippin continued ignoring the looks he was getting from the others.

"It's so people don't end up killing themselves and damaging their brain. Puggles, sit! Good girl!" I handed her the treat to which she sprinted off into the living room, where I'm sure Gandalf was, to eat it.

"Kill yourself drinking?" Merry finally joined in on the conversation seeing that it was becoming more interesting. "One cannot possibly drink too much. For if that is the case, everyone in the Shire would die!"

I rolled my eyes. "It is the actions one takes while drinking. Like drunk driving, kills thousands of people every year, mostly children."

The fact sounded pretty accurate to me.

The children were quite a moment before all exchanging glances. "What is drunk driving?"

"I'm going to tell you the exact same thing as I told Gandalf," I buried my face in my hands. "forget it." The children gave no reaction before turning back to there glasses.

"So no ale?" Pippin asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"Not unless you produce an ID."

"What's an-."

"Forget it."

* * *

_The Fellowship_

The whole situation was perplexing and nothing like he had ever experienced in his 80 years of life. Water came out of the silver contraption in small douses but managed to thoroughly soak him. Aragorn was hesitant, much like the rest of the Fellowship to bath in such a strange setting. But he quickly shook it off and bathed quickly as he wanted to return to his companion as soon as possible.

Moving to the cupboard where the lady had mentioned towels were, he took a large fluffy white one. It was incredibly soft, made of material that could rival that of the elves. Aragorn dried off and dressed him in a new tunic and breeches before sliding a small dagger into the side of his boot. He knew the lady's request for them to remove their weapons was apart of the agreement, but he could not so needlessly allow himself to be taken by surprise. Though he had a distinct feeling that he would not be needing it.

Aragorn stepped out of the washroom and back into the room that held a large bed and various pieces of furniture. He noticed Legolas was standing one of the windows of the rooms and looking out longingly at the snow covered trees.

"What ails you my friend?" Aragorn moved to stand next to the blonde elf who had quickly washed up, faster than the others.

The blonde elf turned towards him with a look of sorrow upon his features. "What does not ail me Estel? For many things are on my mind and I find it hard to determine a solution."

"You are unearthed by this foreign land, that much is known to me." Aragorn said to Legolas.

"Aye, that be true. But it is more than that my friend. But it is not only the strangeness that is unsettling, but also the life and air in it. The air is fouler here, thicker and dirty. The trees do not speak nor sing to one another; it is like all the life is dead. But I know not why."

Aragorn grabbed his friend's shoulder in a comforting way. "It is a pity then, that the life here can not experience such joy that has existed in Middle Earth."

Legolas smiled slightly. "Let us speak no more of the ills of this place. Not that you look more like a drowned horse, we may go back to our companions."

Aragorn threw his head back and laughed while guiding he and Legolas out of the room. The two walked towards the other spare rooms that the woman had led them too to see if any of the Fellowship had not returned to the floor below. They saw the dwarf in on of the rooms preparing to put his helmet on.

"Gimli, friend!" Aragorn called from the doorway. "I do not think you shall be needing your battle armor this night."

The dwarf scoffed and shoved the helmet on his head anyway. "You and the elfling are naïve to feel at ease in such a cursed place! The witch shall not catch this dwarf by surprise!" The proud dwarf situated his helmet on his head before moving past the two standing at the door. "What are ye' waiting for?!"

"Gimli." Aragorn said slowly not moving from his position at the doorway. "If you wish to keep your hatchet at your side, I urge you to conceal it. You heard the lady's terms. She will abide by ours so long as we abide by hers."

"Well, yes of course." The dwarf sputtered while opening a side of his vest and shoving the hatchet into one of the pockets. "What did you think I was about to do?!"  
Boromir soon joined the three as he stepped out of a neighboring room, looking much cleaner than he did before. He noticed the man, elf, and dwarf making there way towards him. "Have you seen the sorcery trapped within the small squares?" Boromir asked gesturing behind him.

The four of them made there way into the room where Boromir bathed and looked around to where Boromir pointed. Vivid and detailed pictures were painted on to such a small area. There were pictures of a little girl laughing while cradling a smaller version of the squished faced dog. There were others around the room that showed the little girl as she aged throughout the years.

"This beast seems to have been around for many years." The dwarf grunted while picking up a picture frame of the little girl and pug. "It seems like its face has been like that since it was small."

"I believe we should at least heed one of the lady's rules, limit our exploration of the objects of this new realm. We know not the capabilities and I would prefer to remain unharmed during our stay." Aragorn said.

"Do not tell me you are afraid of that woman?" Boromir grinned slightly. "She could not lift a sword, she is as harmless as a child."

"Nay it is not her physical strength that worries me." Aragorn replied shaking his head. "It is her use of language that wounds me greatly. She does not censor her words much as the lady's of our realm would."

"Aye, that be true." Legolas nodded. "She swears as often as one would draw breath. Her vocabulary is most unbecoming."

Boromir laughed and agreed with the two. The four of them found their way back to the staircase and descended to the bottom floor.

"Forget it." They heard a female voice sigh. They moved towards the sound and soon found their way back to the large room with all the mysterious boxes and cupboards. They found three of the hobbits sitting atop chairs with a strange dark brown liquid in front of them. Off to the side was the woman with her face buried in her hands as if she were frustrated.

"You can drink it you know, it's not poisoned." The woman said removing her hands from her face. "If it was I would have probably died 13 years ago."

The hobbits nodded but only Merry was brave enough to raise the glass to his mouth and take a small sip. His eyes widened and a grin spread across his face. "What is this?!" He exclaimed taking a larger taste of the drink. "It is…fizzy in the mouth. Unlike anything I've had before! Try it you two! You must try it!" Pippin, having complete faith in his cousin, took a large swig of the drink while Sam sipped it much slower. The two had different expression flit across their features; Sam was more perplexed while Pippin looked ecstatic.

The woman shrugged her shoulders and finally noticed the four people standing off to the side. She said nothing before turning her backs to them and continued to fill up the five other glasses.

"Come friends!" Pippin waved at the four to join them. "You must try this drink for it is like nothing you have ever had before!"

Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir moved to the few other seats on the counter while the woman brought the rest of the drinks. "Hope you like carbonation." She mumbled placing the glasses in front of them. Glancing behind her at the large black box she shrugged her shoulders. "Food still has 15 minutes left. So you'll have to wait."

Hearing the clicking of nails across the floor ignored his untouched glass and saw the squished face dog trot over to the dwarf who was chugging the foreign liquid as if it were ale. The dog watched the dwarf and stuck its tongue out while it panted. It jumped up and down, placing its two paws on the side of Gimli's chair. Pausing from his task he looked down at the dog and tried to move it away with his foot.

"Shoo." Gimli said unsuccessfully trying to get the dog to leave him be. This only caused the dog to whimper and howl a bit; obviously upset from the lack of attention the dwarf was giving it. Though the dog had barely let one whimper escape before the woman's head snapped around to the direction of the Fellowship. As quickly as she could she moved around the counter to the Fellowship's side to see Gimli trying to push her dog away.

"What are you doing?!" She cried out angrily. She bent low to the ground, resting on her heels. "Puggles, Puggles come to mummy." To dog immediately ran into the woman's arms and she scooped up the dog and began kissing its face. "My poor baby, that little dwarf being mean to you?" She said petting to the dog.

"Little?" Gimli growled. "We dwarves may lack in height but we-!"

"Oh shut it!" She snapped at him. "All my dog wanted was a little pat, how can you be so cruel not to shower my baby with affection?!"

"That?! That beast has caused nothing but trouble! Your beast has taken something of ours, for all we know it could have ate it!" Gimli shot back.

"Ignore him Puggles." The woman planted another kiss on the dog's ear. She moved to the other side of the counter again while still stroking the animal.

"Lady Rumpelstiltskin," Aragorn said, eagerly trying to change the subject. "please, tell us about yourself and this place. We are new to this realm and wish to become better acquainted with it."

"Only if you answer mine, one answer for another." She replied while still holding her dog though she seemed to bristle at the sound of her name. She eventually placed the dog on the ground and turned her attention back to the company.

Aragorn nodded. "Very well, you may ask first."

She nodded. "What are your real names?"

There was a pregnant pause before Boromir spoke. "You have our true names milady." Boromir answered. "we have not deceived you in any way."

The woman rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to agree to this unless you tell the truth."

"We speak no lies." Aragorn tried to reason.

"What is your true name lassie? You say we have lied, but what if you have?" The dwarf asked looking at her, as if challenging her. "For we have-."

"Celine." The woman cut Gimli off. Those who were sitting there all looked at her. She helped an impassive look on her face, having no reaction for what she had revealed. She knew the company should not be surprised that she actually had a real name. Not the name of some creepy imp in a children's fairytale. Obviously.

"You hold another name my Lady?" Sam looked confused and stole a glance at Aragorn.

"No, that is my real name. Celine." The woman turned around to take a quick look at the black box before turning her attention back to them.

"Celine? Why did you tell us your name was Rumpelstiltskin?" Another hobbit asked.

"Ah-ah," The woman, now called Celine held up her finger. "You have already asked your question. Now it's my turn." But before she could fire off another question, the lights in the room flickered slightly. "Great." Celine said dejectedly as the lights flicked off for a moment before lighting themselves again. The a few members of the company jumped slightly at the slight flicker of darkness.

"It seems our source of light is fading." Gandalf moved back into the room. Frodo was seen trailing behind him slightly, looking pale and concerned.

Celine shrugged. "Its alright, the lights in this neighborhood will not be out for more than a few hours, if it even comes to that. And the fireplace will still work, so heat isn't a problem."

A beeping noise was made from the black box behind the woman and she turned around and opened the front slightly. She tapped something at the top of the box and beeping ceased its noise. She grabbed a towel off the counter and reached into the warm box several times to remove its contents. She placed them all on top of the box and soon a lovely aroma filled the air and stomach growls were made by the hobbits.

"So," Celine said as she moved around the kitchen gathering plates and an oddly shaped cutting utensil. "Where are you all from?"

"We are all from the Shire." Pippin said gesturing to the hobbits and himself.

Before anyone could continue the woman turned around and waved her hand in front of her face. "Never mind. If your giving me answers like that we can skip my question. Your turn." She turned her back again and began slicing the food and putting it on plates.

"Why do you think we are not who we say we are?" Gandalf was the one to ask the question. Celine turned around with two plates in her hand and began sliding them across the counter. She moved back and forth between the counters placing warm food in front of the company.

"You are really going to waste your question on that?" Celine raised an eyebrow as she placed the remaining food in front of the hobbits. Frodo eventually climbed on the remaining stool so Celine placed a plate of chicken nuggets in front of him as well. Celine completely ignored the strange looks the men were giving their food.

"Indeed." The elderly man answered.

Celine shrugged and leaned against the counter behind her. "Well for starters, the people you claim to be are fictional. All a part of the Lord of the Rings series written by J. R. R. Tolkien."

Gandalf said nothing but tilted his head to the side, not understanding what she was saying. She rolled her eyes. "Really? You gonna keep this act up?" Again Gandalf replied so Celine sighed. "Well, your characters are all apart of a book series Tolkien wrote in like the 1940's…..no wait that was World War II, he wrote it during World War I which was…..shit." Celine racked her brain and was trying to remember the dates her history professor made her engrave in her mind. "Was it in like 1914…er I can't remember but you know, World War I era."

The Fellowship had no idea what the woman was speaking about, and they only managed to take a few bites of the food she provided them. The food tasted good, but they had never had anything like it before. Like everything else in this realm, they were hesitant to eat it.

Except for the hobbits who inhaled theirs.

"These books, do you perhaps have them?" Gandalf asked stepping closer to the woman with a serious expression on his face.

"Not the original copies of course, but yeah hold up. I'll get you anything you need so long as you drop the act. I don't think you understand how annoying it is." Celine moved pass the wizard and disappeared into a different room and her footsteps soon faded as she moved further away from where they stood.

"She is constantly speaking in riddles Gandalf." Aragorn said glancing over at the direction Celine had disappeared to. "She has given us a false name, how many more lies do you think she speaks. For surely such a novel cannot exist. Its is too strange."

"It cannot be any stranger than the situation we have found ourselves in." Gandalf replied. "For if what she says is true, we can understand her reluctance to believing us." Gandalf could say nothing more as Celine returned with a thick book in her hand.

"I never read it, but I've seen the movies." Celine said walking back towards them while flipping through the book. "I won't deny that I've tried, but Bilbo's birthday was like 80 pages. Nobody's birthday lasts 80 pages." Frodo's eyes widened and he whipped his head towards Gandalf. How could this woman have known about Bilbo's grand birthday? Could she have been referring to his most recent one, the one where the Ring was revealed? Perhaps she truly was working with the enemy? A thousand thoughts flew through his head as he tried to make sense of what the woman had revealed.

Celine moved forward to hand the book to Gandalf, but when Gandalf's hand touched it, it passed right through. Celine paused and blinked before shaking her head. Celine, not believing what she just saw, gestured for Gandalf to grab it again, believing that he had merely missed the book. Gandalf too was perplexed to why he could not grasp the book and reached out with both hands to take the book, but once again they passed right through.

"What….the….." Celine whispered as her jaw dropped and eyes grew to the size of baseballs. "This can't be real." She breathed looking up at Gandalf, striding quickly to Frodo she all but slammed the book down in front of him on the counter and gestured for him to pick it up. Frodo moved his left hand to the book, and again, his hand passed right through.

"Oh my God." Celine intertwined her fingers in her already messy hair. "This can't be real, there is no way in hell! This doesn't happen! This is all some sick joke!"

"I am afraid not my lady," Gandalf shook his head. "I do not know why I am unable to grasp the book. But it is perhaps a sign from the Valar. These books hold a story yes? What is the story?"

"Stop!" Celine shouted while removing her hands from her hair. "Give me a moment to digest to utter absurdity of this situation!" She moved quickly away from Gandalf, looking just as frightened as she was when they were chasing her. She stood there, gaping like a fish and trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. "You're….you're Gandalf." She pointed to the wizard who just nodded. "And…and you four and truly hobbits?" The fours hobbits nodded. "And…oh God, you're an elf and you're a dwarf." She pointed to Legolas and Gimli who said nothing, but just watched her. "Oh my God….I threw a knife at you!" Celine cried pointing at Aragorn not really knowing what else to say. "You are all truly the Fellowship of the Ring?!"

"That, we did not say." Gandalf's eyes narrowed as he took in the distressed expression of the woman. Celine ignored him and went off on her own tangent still trying to digest the situation at hand.

"It all makes sense! Your weapons, your attire, your mannerisms and speech, and- oh my God!" Her hands flew to her mouth and she whipped her head down to look at her dog. "Puggles stole the RING?! Like THE RING!"

"Please child, calm yourself!" Gandalf moved towards her but she jumped back.

"Calm myself? Calm myself?! How do I stay calm when reality is being mixed with fiction?!" She nearly screeched. "This doesn't happen! This can't happen! How in the world did this happen?!"

"If you would stop a moment, perhaps we may clear up some confusion." Gandalf said. Celine's cheeks were slightly red from her tantrum and her hair a little more frizzy from her constantly running her fingers through it. "Before we begin our tale, let us hear of these books. What is their significance here?"

Celine took a few deep breaths before she even attempted to speak. Her voice was still shaky despite Gandalf's urge for her to calm down. There is no way in hell she could just accept this and move on. "T-there is no real purpose for these books." She began, stumbling slightly over her words. "W-what is the purpose of any story? Entertainment. Its just for shits and giggles, nothing more."

Not completely understanding the woman's speech, Aragorn asked her to elaborate more. "Its just a tale about you guys I guess, I mean this is just me reciting the movie, but its about your journey to destroy the Ring and save Middle Earth."

Boromir had been silent during most of the reveal, but finally he had found his voice after the recent discovery. "So you mean to say that these books, are a telling of Middle Earth? They hold the knowledge of what has yet to come? The outcome of the war?"

Celine glanced at him and bit her lip. "Yeah, I guess so. But I have no idea what part you-."

"This is a sign," Boromir cut her off as a grin spread across his features. "with this knowledge we will avoid needless conflict and loss of lives! We can avoid this entire war if we but use these books!"

"NO!" Gandalf cried loudly. "Knowledge can be dangerous if used in the wrong ways. The gift of foresight is often mistakenly thought to be a gift, but it can also be a curse. For we would needlessly disrupt the path the Valar has laid before us!"

"You would have us forsake these books and walk blindly towards Mount Doom, having no understanding of the path that we are taking?! It is a fools choice!" Boromir raised his voice and stood up from his seat. He turned to look at Aragorn who was in deep thought over what he had heard. "You would agree with this?! You would seek to throw away a gift so extraordinary?!"

"Having the knowledge about situations that are soon to come would be the most helpful." Boromir looked relieved to hear the Ranger agree with him. "But, I trust Gandalf's judgment. He is wise and knows much more than I, so I will follow his command." Aragorn concluded.

Boromir said nothing and turned his face away, seething slightly for his foolish company's choice. "We shall ask nothing more of you about the books." Gandalf turned back towards Celine. "Perhaps we may retire for the night, we have much to think about."

Celine nodded. "Sure, but let me make this clear. I can't tell you anything about the books, not because you don't want me to, but because I haven't read them!"

"Well then that is good my child." Gandalf said moving forward to pat Celine's shoulder.

"Do you need me to lead you back to your rooms?" Gandalf shook his head, as he and the company knew the relative location of the rooms. "Well, if you need me for some reason tonight, just look for the door that has my name on it. The is a sign I hung on the door with my name, just knock and I'll answer."

"You have been to kind to us my lady." Aragorn said nodding his head. "Perhaps we may somehow return the favor."

Celine shook her head. "Nah its fine. I'll clean up down here; you all can go to bed. I'm sure your day has been more stressful than mine." As Aragorn began to protest she gave him a slight shove. "Consider this me making it up to you for throwing a knife at you."

Eventually the company had left to retire for the night and Celine moved around to clean up the kitchen. She cleared the plates and piled them all in the dishwasher before she started it up. She moved to the sink to wash her hands and finished by drying them off with a paper towel.

Celine threw the paper towel away and as she shut the cupboard door, she froze. "Oh shit." She whispered. She then bolted to the living room and snatched her computer. "Shit, shit, shit!" She furiously began typing away at the keys trying to hurriedly find her manuscript that she had meant to send to her publisher that night.

"This is what I get for being side tracked!" She scolded herself as she located her large document. She hurriedly logged into her Gmail and sent it off to her publisher. Celine sighed as she leaned back against the coach and took another deep breath.

"Success." She breathed closing her eyes. Celine was hoping that she would get a reply from her publisher tomorrow afternoon. Her publisher had this obsession with checking her email every 8 minutes of so she didn't doubt that her publisher would see it. Not to mention that the dude read fast, like really fast.

"What have you succeeded in?"

Celine jumped at the sound of a musical voice and turned around to spot Legolas standing off to the side with a look of curiosity on his face. Celine thought everyone had gone off to bed but to be completely honest she had no idea the sleeping habits of elves. He stood there gazing at her waiting for the woman to reply to his remark.

"Uh, I just sent off some stuff to my publisher. That's it." Celine answered closing down her computer and placing it on the coffee table in front of her. "My publisher is the person who gives the "A-Okay" on my books." Celine said sensing that Legolas would have no idea what a publisher is.

"You are a scripter then." Legolas said still not moving from his position.

"If scripter means writer, than yes, I am a scripter." Celine replied glancing back over at the elf suddenly nervous about being around him. Not because Legolas was a Prince and not because he put Abercrombie models to shame, but because he had pointed ears. Not being one to discriminant against people for looking different, but the fact that this dude was an _elf_, but a whole new meaning to the word "weird."

"You are nervous." Legolas said stepping to the side more to put him in the woman's line of sight. "What is wrong?"

"Um, nothing." Celine shrugged and moved to sit on her hands. She tended to fidget way too much when she was nervous, and she knew the elf would definitely pick up on that. Even an idiot could pick up on that.

Legolas said nothing for a moment, taking in the sight of the jittery woman. It was not difficult to tell that the woman was nervous around him, he was no fool. The signs were obvious to anyone. Knowing she was already uncomfortable around him, Legolas made no move to approach her. "I apologize milady, I do not wish to make you feel uneasy. I shall take my leave." He nodded his head to her and turned around to leave and make his way back up the stairs.

Celine said nothing and stomped her foot like a child as she watched him turn his back. "Wait," She called standing up. "I should be the one apologizing. I'm not really upset by your presence…. its just the fact that you're an elf that is a bit…er..shocking." Celine finished lamely not knowing how to say what she meant without seeming the slightest bit offensive.

Legolas turned around and neither smiled nor frowned. "Then it is to my understanding that you have no elves in your realm?"

Celine grinned as the vision on a small Christmas elf tinkering with toys and throwing them in Santa's sleigh. She forced herself to relax a bit, trying not to make Legolas think she was put off by his presence. "Well, not really. I mean we have our own versions of elves, but trust me when I say they are nothing like you. The only resemblance they have is that they also have pointed ears."

"I do not understand?"

"Okay, let me see how I can explain. Well, growing up children are taught, depending on which religion they followed, that a man would come down the chimney and deliver toys to them while they slept. These toys were created by the elves that worked for this man. They would spend the whole year making toys for all boys and girls so that they could deliver them to the children on this one night."

Legolas looked at me like I had sprouted antlers out of my ears.

"You know what," Celine said rubbing her tired eyes. "forget it. It's been a long night; I can't sit and explain to you this concept in like 3 minutes. I can try again tomorrow morning."

"Agreed, my lady. I will bid you good night them." Legolas nodded and moved away to exit the living room. Celine left soon after and made her way up the stairs to her own room. Her door was cracked open slightly so Celine pushed it open and noticed Puggles sleeping soundly on her bed.

Drooling.

Celine sighed and closed her bedroom door and moved passed her vanity and flopped on top of her bed with a loud groan. She sat up and pulled back the covers and slipped underneath the cool sheets. She groped for her cellphone that she threw on her bed a few hours ago and plugged in the charger that was on her nightstand. Celine didn't bother to set an alarm to wake up before the company, she deserved rest. The Fellowship could wait a bit before she woke up.

Rolling over to face the wall that held the large window, the moon shone through the white curtains slightly. Celine would have admired the sight more if she were not so tired. Her eyelids drooped close and she soon found herself in a deep slumber, and fell into the strangest dream she had in a long time.

* * *

A/N: So that concludes this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! I am so-so on how Celine reacted. My character is definitely not the one to faint over something so shocking. Though I hope I didn't make her seem like she was so ready to accept it. Also, I hope you liked the minimal Legolas-Celine interaction. Again, this is a slow romance, but perhaps they will have a slight something before they go to Middle Earth. We'll see.


	5. Pugs Are Basically Wargs

A/N: Thank you again for everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite my story! I truly love to see that so many of you are enjoying it! I only hope I can keep these chapters interesting enough for you throughout the story!

gogoloo: Glad you enjoyed the chapter! Haha no she isn't that's why I didn't give Celine a specific age in the photo. I'll leave the readers up to the interpretation of how old they wish her to be when Puggles first came into the picture.

KrystylSky: Haha who knows where the Ring is? The big question is, how is the Fellowship going to find it in Celine's house?

Aoine: I'm so happy you enjoy this story! I tried to make Puggles have a role in this story because I too love her!

LovelyBoA: Thank you so much! I only hope to continue to make this story interesting throughout the whole thing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Cinderelee: I'm glad to hear that none of the characters are really acting OOC or anything because sometimes that is the most frustrating thing in a story. Hmm maybe Puggles did eat it or maybe she didn't? Who knows?

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

Chapter 5

Celine groaned and tried to push away the dog that was currently lapping her face like it was made out of honey. The woman rolled over to try to escape the dogs licking attack but the dog then just proceeded to lick her ear.

"Alright, alright!" Celine mumbled. "I'm up, I'm awake. The sky's awake, so I'm awake. I got it." She yawned and stretched her arms above her head and managed to crack a few of her bones providing an immediate sense of relief. Celine raised herself and stretched over to her nightstand and hit the home button on her phone. "8:13 in the morning? Couldn't you have given me a couple more hours Puggles?" Celine wanted nothing more than to slam her head back into her pillow, but she knew better.

Puggles always got her way.

Celine swung her legs to the side and stood up and gave her body one final long stretch. She yawned again and scratched the side of her head. Puggles panted atop her bed and cocked her head to the side as she watched her owner patter to her vanity.

"Well that's cute." Celine grumbled staring at her reflection in the mirror. The 26 year-old's hair was all over the place and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. "Ugh, I have the face of a raccoon." She rubbed her eyes once more before flipping her hair upside down and shook the long locks out. Celine flipped in head back side up and managed to stuff her hair into another really ugly bun.

"I look like a Victoria Secret Angel I know." Celine said sarcastically as she turned to look at Puggles who was wagging her tail. "Someone looks like they are ready for breakfast." As soon as Puggles heard the word "breakfast" she launched herself off the bed and flew out of the room like her tail was on fire. Celine chuckled as she went to grab her cellphone before moving to follow the pug.

Her feet padded the carpeted floor silently as she made her way to the staircase. She descended the stairs and made her way to the kitchen where she knew her dog would be undoubtedly sitting by her empty bowl. Turning the corner she saw Puggles grinning at her, and not sitting by her bowl of food. She was sitting IN her bowl.

What the hell in wrong with my dog?

Celine sighed and snapped her fingers so the dog would follow her to the cupboard where the dog's food was kept. Reaching below Celine withdrew a bag of overpriced dog food and Puggles began to dance around her on her hind legs.

"Yeah, yeah." Celine said taking the dog's food scooper out and began placing the food in her bowl. "I know, hurry up because heaven forbid you actually wait 10 more seconds before devouring your food." Puggles didn't even lift her face; she just stuck it into the pile of food and began chomping away.

You're welcome.

Celine stood back up and move to her Kerig coffee stand and spun the device around, looking for some sort of morning wake up call. Grabbing the one that would satisfy her taste buds she turned around and placed everything in the Kerig and hit the start button.

"Merry I'm hungry."

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Celine whirled around to see fours hobbits staring at the refrigerator in awe. They all clustered around the large fridge allowing their eyes to travel up and down. "This produces food." Pippin continued, pointing, yet not touching, at the fridge. "All we must do is open the door, go on Merry."

Merry looked absolutely affronted at Pippin's command. "Me? Why should I do it? You're the one who is complaining. I am more than happy to oblige the lady's wish of limiting the touching of the unknown objects."

Frodo finally saw that Celine was standing off to the other side of the kitchen and elbowed his cousins, causing them to snap their gaze over to Celine. "Good morning my lady." Frodo somewhat smiled.

Celine rolled her eyes, still slightly annoyed with their speech. "It is not good morning until I am sipping my coffee." Celine turned around and grabbed her now full coffee cup and brought it to her lips, blowing on it slightly. She took a small sip and let the warmth spread through her limbs. "Now, it is good morning."

The hobbits stared blankly at Celine.

Sighing Celine took one more sip of her coffee before placing it on the counter and moving to a longer cupboard that had shelves that slid out. "Cereal okay?" Celine looked back at the hobbits for confirmation of the breakfast meal, but seeing their blank stares, she knew that she would have to decide for them. "Cereal it is."

Celine grabbed cereal that would at least taste decent, but not have a ton of sugar because she did not need four hyper hobbits today. Placing Honey Nut Cheerios, Golden Grams, and Golean Crunch on the counter, Celine moved to grab four bowls and spoons.

The hobbits maneuvered to the small bar stools that they sat at the night before, and stared stupidly at the boxes. Celine placed the dishes in front of them and grabbed a gallon of milk and placed that next in Sam. Still the hobbits did nothing, but instead of staring at the boxes, they were staring at Celine.

Biting her tongue she tried to explain the concept of cereal in the simplest of terms. The hobbits were not stupid so they caught on quickly and soon began to eat wholeheartedly. Celine grabbed her cup of coffee moved back towards the staircase to get dressed for the day.

Aka do nothing and wear the baggiest of sweaters.

Not seeing any of the other members of the Fellowship in the hall, Celine shrugged and moved back into her room. Shutting the door behind her, Celine placed her coffee cup on her bureau and moved to her walk in closet. Pushing aside hangers of dresses, blouses, and slacks, she found a baggy turtleneck black sweater with two square pockets in the front. Moving back to her room she grabbed a pair or dark wash skinny jeans from her drawer. Throwing the clothes on quickly, Celine ran a brush through her long hair and did a quick Dutch braid.

Hair out of the face? Check.

Bra on? Check.

Makeup? Ha.

Grabbing a pair of white ankle socks, Celine slipped one onto her left foot until she heard the distinct sound of Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora singing. _"I'm gonna love ya, until you hate me! And I'm gonna show ya, what's really crazy!"_

Shit.

Completely forgetting about her other sock Celine wrenched her door open and ran as fast as her legs could carry her down the hall. Unfortunately this was the moment where Aragorn and Boromir exited the respecting guest rooms, but Celine was not slowing down for anyone.

"Move!" She shouted waving her hand in front of her. Having great reflexes, the men easily sidestepped the speedy woman and watched her practically throw her self down the stairs. Unfortunately Celine missed the last two steps and landed on her kneecaps on the wooden floor. Throwing out explicatives that no man, woman, or child should ever hear, Celine jumped right back onto her feet and made her way to the kitchen.

"_I'm gonna love ya, I'm gonna love ya, I'm gonna love ya, like a black widow ba-."_ Celine grabbed her IPhone and taking half a second to read the caller ID labeled "Imbecile" before Celine answered.

"Hello?" Celine answered breathlessly and ignored the perplexed looks of the hobbits.

"Celine! How are you? How is snow up there in Maine?" A male voice laughed.

This guy was in Florida. His taunting made me want to shove snow right up his-.

Celine forced a smile on her face, knowing she had to be civil with her publisher in order to get anything done. "It is lovely Elliot, is looks beautiful. A sheet of endless white across the landscape. But I do not think you called to talk to me about the beauty of Maine's winter."

"Ha ha no I did not." Elliot laughed. "I just finished reading your manuscript, and to say the least I was impressed."

Celine grinned wholeheartedly and moved to the neighboring living room with the Christmas tree to avoid the eyes of the hobbits. "Really? I'm so glad to hear that. I worked on this for months on end and I'm really happy the way it turned out." Celine stood next to the Christmas tree twiddling with branches, just needing something to do with her hands.

"As you should be. But unfortunately you won't be able to publish this work." The man said sighing.

What.

"E-excuse me?" Celine sputtered not understanding how he could praise her work and then shut it down so quickly. "Why not? I thought you said you enjoyed it?"

"And I honestly did Celine, but your book is too similar to "Anne of Green Gables." You know with the whole adoption and searching for acceptance. Much of the girls trials are the same, a boy who teases her and yet they later find love-."

"WHAT?!" Celine screeched. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE JOKING!" Celine screeched so loudly the hobbits thought the house shook. The Fellowship had made their way into the kitchen to join the hobbits when Celine first moved into the living room, taking to something that was against her head.

Hearing Celine screech with her usual profanity, the Fellowship cringed slightly. The entire Fellowship stood in the kitchen perplexed at the young woman's reason to scream so loudly.

"Gandalf," Aragorn stepped up to the elderly wizard. "Should we not begin our search now? Once we find the ring we must be on our way."

Gandalf stroked his beard looking out towards the direction of where the woman was still screeching. "Indeed, but I shall not join you in the search. I wish to study the woods to which we came, looking for a way to return us. I shall hope you all find the Ring swiftly, and once you do," Gandalf flickered his gaze towards the entire company, but resting on Boromir a few moments longer than the rest. "do not seek to touch it. Only the Ring bearer shall obtain the Ring."

The members nodded and Frodo said nothing as the group turned to him. It was no mystery to the group that Frodo had the strongest will than the rest of them. Though the signs of fatigue and weariness were more obvious on the young hobbit. He had a greater and more dangerous task than any of them that stood there.

Gandalf, wishing to dispel the tense situation smiled at the young hobbit. "Come now, let us begin. I shall be amongst the trees and you need only call me if I am needed. I shall not tarry too long. Make haste my friends!"

The Fellowship nodded and soon the wizard was seen marching out into the snow with his great wood staff. Celine was too involved with her shouting match that she did not notice Gandalf leave the house.

"You think my books too similar to "Anne of Green Gables?" Celine shouted. "Then how did "Divergent" get published hm? It is word-for-word of the "Hunger Games!" Celine wanted to rip her hair out she was so pissed. "Dystopia, female protagonist, districts/sectors, Divergent is basically a less violent "Hunger Games!"

"Well now, not necessarily-."

"Oh yeah? Well tell that to society!" Celine screeched. "My book is nothing like "Anne of Green Gables!" The only thing similar between the two is that the protagonist are both female! Nothing else!"

"I'm truly sorry Celine. Perhaps your next book will be different from already published works. I hate to cut this short but I have an appointment later this afternoon with another author. Perhaps we can discuss this after the holidays. Have a Merry Christmas!" The bastard hung up on me before I could give him another earful.

"Ugh!" Celine screamed like a frustrated high school girl who didn't get the prom dress she wanted. Gripping her phone so tightly that her knuckles turned white, she hurled her phone into the sofa. It bounced off the cushions and onto the plush carpet of the floor, undamaged.

Hearing a whine towards the opposite end of the couch, Celine turned to see Puggles looking a bit distressed and frightened at the scene that took place. Celine's expression immediately softened and she slowly sank down on the seat next to Puggles. Scooping up the plump pug, Celine placed Puggles in her lap and began to stroke the dog.

"Did mummy scare you baby?" Celine cooed while petting the dog. "Mummy is sorry. She's just a little stressed at the moment. Not to mention that-." Celine's eyes widened.

Ah.

Celine completely forgot about her guests.

Giving the dog one last pat, Celine put her back on the couch and moved back towards the kitchen, expecting to see everyone there. Puggles jumped up from the couch and bottled to a different room in the opposite direction that Celine was heading.

It was completely empty.

Scratching the side of her head in confusion, Celine moved towards the front of her house, searching the various rooms for the Fellowship. Hearing a loud crash the woman moved towards the opening room with the front door to see a coat hanger, along with various coats, sprawled across the floor. There was also a very guilty looking dwarf nearby and an ecstatic pug next to him.

Taking several deep breaths Celine tried to calm herself, knowing that anymore screaming would leave her voice sounding raspy for the rest of the day. "What in the world is going on?"

"It was that beast!" Gimli cried glaring at Puggles who was lapping the dwarf's shoes. "That creature will not leave me in peace! Its constant jumping and snapping jaw has caused me to move into this tree like structure!"

"It's a Pug, not a Rottweiler." Celine snapped. "The worst thing Puggles could do to you is sneeze in your face, calm down." Celine moved to pick up the coat stand to put it up right again before any more damage could be done to it. "What are you doing anyway? Besides shoving my dog around with your foot." The dwarf was currently trying to move the Pug away from his body with his foot. But Puggles was having none of that so she started to bite and chew the leather of Gimli's foot, having a blast doing so.

"What we should have been doing yesterday!" The dwarf cried still trying to shake off the Pug. "Finding the Ring! Call off your beast!" The dwarf was truly struggling with Puggles who know thought they were playing tug-o-war with the boot, and she was determined to win.

"She won't listen to me unless I have a Milk Bone in my hand." Celine shrugged and moved down to grab Puggles around her large tummy. "Puggles let go of the angry dwarf's shoe." Celine pulled the dog back slightly, trying not to force the dog too much. Puggles did not release her teeth from Gimli's shoe. "Oh come on." Celine rolled her eyes and tugged again, but still no budge.

"What is going on?" Celine turned to see Aragorn move into the same room with a confused expression on his face. "Come Gimli friend, we have no time to delay. We must be on our way soon." The other man, and soon the elf after hearing the commotion, moved into the same room.

"You think this amusing! The beast won't-." Puggles released her grip and sprinted off to the corner of the room where a pile of shoes laid and plopped her large rump on top of them. Gimli staggered backwards slightly, as he was trying to use his weight to wrench his foot free, before settling back onto his two feet. She barked excitedly and allowed her tongue to hang lazily outside her mouth.

"There, problem solved." Celine said moving to pick up the coats that were still on the ground.

"There!" Boromir shouted suddenly. Celine raised her head up from the floor and followed Boromir's finger to where it pointed. Puggles was pulling a silver chain out of her dad's snow boots and once the chain was pulled free, a glint of gold caught her eye.

Oooooh so that's where it was.

Well this is kind of where shit hit the fan.

It seems the Fellowship had no clue how to approach a dog in order to gain something back, because if you all lunge at the dog, its going to play keep-away. Which the Fellowship obviously didn't know, or they did and just ignored all common sense.

At the shout of Boromir's discovery, the four hobbit's heads poked out from around a wall to see the rest of their companions, minus one, starting to lunge towards the squished face dog.

Keep in mind that my dog is fat, but somehow she still managed to dance around the hands of the Fellowship. Though the only one she really had to avoid was Gimli because he was running after the dog, not even attempting to stop and coax the Ring from the dog's mouth.

Aragorn kept his gaze fixed on the dog, lunging at it when necessary, but Puggles jumped around his outstretched hands. Legolas stood stiffly also having his keen eyes resting on the running dog. The hobbits were not running after the dog like Gimli was, but they lunged and missed terribly.

Celine stood there with her jaw dropped trying to comprehend the absurd situation. "Stop chasing her! You're just going to make her think you're playing a game!"

Everyone ignored me.

"Cease you Warg!" The dwarf shouted falling flat on his stomach as he missed the pudgy dog again. Puggles was too busy staring at the fallen dwarf, grinning ear to ear with the chain in her mouth, to see the elf's hand shoot out and wrap around the chain.

Legolas quickly brought the chain back up to his height, though unfortunately Puggles still wouldn't relent. She dangled in the air with her mouth firmly wrapped around the object on the chain.

Celine screeched and rushed forward to shove the elf. "Drop her you idiot! You'll hurt her neck!" Celine pushed the elf, but he didn't budge an inch. Instead he shook the chain slightly, as if to cause the Pug to release her grip.

"Your pet is fine. She would let go if she were-." Celine wasn't listening to shit so instead she grabbed the elf's elbow and pushed her thumb into his pressure point, knowing that no matter what race you were, it was going to hurt. A lot.

And it did.

Thank you Human Anatomy for teaching me at least one thing that stuck with me all these years.

Though the elf did not cry out in pain like a normal person would, he dropped the chain out of reflex and the Pug dropped to the floor with the chain still in her mouth. Legolas gripped her arm and jostled her around and shoved her wrist in an awkward angle against her back. More out of reflex the young woman assumed than anything else.

Still hurt though.

Chaos still ensued as the men, dwarf, and hobbits began moving around once more. Legolas released her quickly and stepped away, glaring at her back. But Celine was too concerned with her dog than to deal with a pissed off elf.

If Puggles could laugh she would be doing so right at this moment. She had never had so much fun in her life! Though her enjoyment could only last so long as one of the hobbits grabbed the Pug's sides and another stepped in front of the Pug, reaching down to grab the necklace. Spotting the dwarf that was struggling to raise himself from his fallen position, Puggles saw a new target in mind that was far more interesting so she released the chain and launched herself over to the fallen dwarf. She barked happily and began lapping the dwarf's face like a tootsie pop. To which the dwarf did not enjoy.

The Fellowship ceased their movements and stared at the fallen jewelry. Frodo stooped low to pick up the chain. Though as he grasped the chain and raised it closer to his face, he could tell something was immediately off. The chain was dull, not sparkling like starlight like that of typical Mithril, the chain was far too slim to be such a durable metal, and to top it off, the ornament that hung from the chain was much too small to be the one Ring. It looked like a gold lock of some sort with a key dangling right next to it.

This was not the Ring.

Frodo's gaze moved to the Fellowship, and finally allowed their eyes to glue themselves to the chain. Understanding and disappointment filled their features, all except one.

"Oh!" Celine cried quickly striding forward to grasp the necklace. "I have been searching for this for months! I thought I had lost it!" Celine took the necklace delicately in her hands and studied it closely. It had begun to tarnish slightly from being out in the open for so long, but nothing a little cleaning couldn't handle. The charm was also slightly wet from Puggles drool.

The dwarf finally situated himself back on his two feet. "That is what the beast decides to reveal! It is but a mere trinket to trick us!"

"Aye, it is disappointing." Aragorn agreed. "For our hopes were needlessly raised, but I have confidence that we shall find what we desire soon."

It seemed like the excitement was over and the Fellowship and Celine began to relax once more, that is until the doorbell rang. It dinged loudly throughout the house and the Fellowship quickly stood to attention, wondering what had caused such a loud noise. The elf visibly winched due to his sensitive hearing and stood alert and ready.

"Can I not get a break?! Move! Shoo! Get out!" Celine whispered moving towards the hobbits and shoving them into the neighboring room. "You all move into this room! Now!"

"What is the matter my lady?" Sam asked as Celine continued to shove him and the other hobbits into the neighboring sitting room.

"Someone is at my door!" She hissed. "And I do not need my nosy neighbors having a gossip session about nine unknown men hanging out at my house! Now move! You too, come on!" Celine beckoned the other men follow her as the doorbell rang again. The Fellowship was soon situated into the neighboring room and Celine ran back to the door. She brushed out her sweater and smoothed back the baby hairs on her head that were sticking up. She plastered a smile on her face and she opened the door.

Expecting to see one of the annoying neighbor's children or the gossiping mothers who hung out on the sidewalk, Celine instead saw the one person that she actually didn't hate.

Mrs. Beatrice.

Mrs. Beatrice was the old lady across the street that had a brilliant white smile on her face everyday and forever smelled like Christmas cookies. She was the only person on her street that Celine didn't hate as she was a wonderful old woman who had the greatest cookies and told the best stories. Celine had known her since she was in high school, she was actually the one who inspired her to become a writer.

Celine visibly relaxed as she laid her eyes on the old woman's form. "Mrs. Beatrice hello! It's so good to see you!" Celine grinned opening the door wider.

"Celine darling I have missed you!" The old woman smiled. "I'm sure you know why I am here! It is that time of year!" The old woman held up her left hand that was filled with beautifully crafted envelopes.

"Oh Mrs. Beatrice, I would have been happy to have come to your home! You didn't need to walk over here in the cold!" Celine replied feeling the onslaught of cold air attack her face.

The old woman shook her head and waved her finger in Celine's face. "Don't treat me like an infidel my dear. You know I have my William here to help me if I fall or slip. He's very protective of me."

Now let me explain. Mrs. Beatrice is a widow; her sons live in Minnesota and her daughter lives in Virginia. So who is William you ask? Her giant German Shepard.

William had been around for years and Mrs. Beatrice had gotten him when he was a puppy. William was incredibly protective of his owner and no one dared mess with this old woman for fear of getting their throat ripped out. It seems kind of odd that a young 26-year-old woman has a small Pug while a small elderly woman has a giant German Shepard.

William sat down on the porch next to Mrs. Beatrice with his tongue hanging out as the old lady pat his head. William knew Celine for quite a few years, so Celine was comfortable around the dog. But she knew if she did something to Mrs. Beatrice, William would have no qualms with chewing her neck like a rawhide.

Celine, despite who she knew was hiding in her house, knew she had to invite Mrs. Beatrice into her house. She wasn't going to let the old woman freeze out there. "Mrs. Beatrice would you like to come in, it is quite cold out there." Praying that the elderly woman would shake her head and claim that she had things to do, it did not happen.

"Why thank you Celine, I would love to! But only for a moment, I have the rest of the invitations to deliver." Mrs. Beatrice smiled and stepped inside the house. William soon followed behind her.

While Mrs. Beatrice was hanging her coat on the coat rack Celine whipped her head around to make sure the Fellowship wasn't nearby. Thankfully they had enough sense to move deeper into the house. But this would prove to be useless as there was now a four-legged problem.

William.

William, being the German Shepard that he is, immediately could scent that there were several different people in the house. People that he did not know, to which made him extremely agitated and I believe slightly angry. William stuck his snout in the air and then began to growl, stepping closer to Mrs. Beatrice.

"Oh dear, William seems upset." Mrs. Beatrice said patting the large dog on the head.

"Uh-." Celine didn't get much farther as suddenly a loud squeak was heard through the house.

"Pippin!" A young voice cried out, which was soon followed by an "ouch" as Celine assumed Pippin had been smacked by his fellow hobbits. William growled even louder and began to bark loud, like really loud. Made Puggles seem like she was whispering when she barked.

"Oh I am so sorry dear!" Mrs. Beatrice said. "I had no idea you had guest! How terribly rude of me!"

Celine shook her head back and forth quickly. "No not at all! They are just…. some old friends."

"Oh from your school?! How nice of them to come and visit you!" Mrs. Beatrice always loved hearing stories about her college life. Celine told her a bit about college but she didn't have many stories. She was shy and didn't make too many friends. Sororities weren't her thing and she joined one club in her entire four years. But Celine didn't hate college, she though it was fine. Just another stepping-stone in life. Mrs. Beatrice knew that Celine didn't talk much about her college life, so it was like pulling teeth to get any of her juicy stories.

"Ha ha, yes." Celine forced a laugh. "They are very sweet." Sweet enough to hunt me in my own house.

"Well?" Mrs. Beatrice grinned placing her hands on her hips. "Are you going to introduce me? I won't stay too long."

Shit.

"Well, I-." One firm look from the woman and Celine squashed any attempts at an excuse. Putting another smile on her face Celine led the way to the living room where she heard the sound generate from.

"William won't attack will he? These are strangers."

Mrs. Beatrice waved her hand. "No dearie, don't worry about that. Once he scouts out that there is no threat, he'll probably go find Puggles. You know how they love to play."

Leading the women to the living room, she noticed the Fellowship was standing off to the side, eyeing the woman curiously. She told them to hide themselves and yet she brings company to them.

"Um, hey guys." Celine wanted to bury herself in the Christmas tree. "This is Mrs. Beatrice. Mrs. Beatrice these are my…friends."

Ugh this is already a disaster.

Mrs. Beatrice grinned and moved forward boldly and grabbed Boromir by the arms and embraced him. "Oh how nice it is to meet you all! Celine never told me about you!" Boromir looked extremely uncomfortable but he was soon released from the woman's surprising grip as she moved on down the line of the individuals.

The Fellowship could say nothing as they had no idea what was going on and the fact that a large dog trailed after the old woman and began to sniff each of their figures. The dog sniffed everyone and deemed it safe, so he ran off in search of his friends Puggles.

The old woman didn't even find the dwarf and hobbits odd in height; she embraced them nonetheless. Which Celine swore she saw the slightest twinge of pink of the dwarf's cheeks.

"It is a delight to meet you! Celine never speaks to me of her friends! She tells me that you all went to school together! How did you meet?" Mrs. Beatrice spoke looking between all the men.

The Fellowship said nothing, not that Celine gave them the chance to. "We met in English 300!" Celine blurted out. "We were assigned together as a group."

"How nice!" Mrs. Beatrice smiled. "Well I would like to cordially invite you all to my annual Christmas party!"

Oh dear God.

"I invite most of the street to my home a few days before Christmas, it is all great fun. There will be food and dancing and even pets are invited! I do hope you all will come!" Mrs. Beatrice gushed.

"Er, my friends may not be here then." Celine spoke for the group once again.

"Oh dear, how disappointing." The elderly woman looked crestfallen. "Well, if you still are here, I would like you to come. I do enjoy meeting new people."

"By chance we are, we will try to attend my lady." Aragorn finally spoke seeing as this was a request that he could actually understand. Though he did not understand what the event was for, he could humor the elderly woman as Celine looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Not only good looking young men but they also have manners! A fine catch Celine!" Mrs. Beatrice elbowed Celine's ribs and raised her eyebrows. Celine now wanted to turn into a Christmas tree.

"Good, good! Well Celine dear here is your invite as usual!" Mrs. Beatrice handed the invitation to Celine who took it robotically. "Now I must continue to deliver these invitations, they won't walk themselves to the neighbors! William!" Celine moved with Mrs. Beatrice to the front door and opened it for her and William. Waving goodbye to her, Celine closed the door and slowly banged her head on the large wooden door.

"We are going to a party?" Celine heard a hobbits curious voice ask from the living room that they were still in.

"No one is going to a party!" Celine yelled back removing her head from the door and dragging herself back to the living room. She all but threw herself onto the plush coach and grabbed one of the pillows and squished it onto her face and screamed slightly in frustration.

"Milady?" Removing the pillow Celine looked at the Fellowship. "What ails you?" Aragorn probed.

"Let me rephrase your question, what doesn't ail me." Celine groaned rubbing her temples. The invitation sat on the coffee table to the side so she grabbed it and opened it. Elegant stationary with beautiful cursive handwriting revealed the time and place of the party. Same time, same date, same dress code every year.

"I hope for your sake you will be gone by next Saturday." Celine said tossing the invite back to the table. "'Cause I really don't want to bring you, no offense."

"Nay my lady, we wish not to inconvenience you any more. But may I be so bold to ask who that woman was and what she spoke of?" Aragorn asked.

"That is Mrs. Beatrice, she lives across the street from me. She invites me and my family every year to her Christmas party. Unfortunately my parents won't be here so I'm going solo." Celine replied dreading the event already. Mrs. Beatrice couldn't converse with her the whole night so she would have

"What is…. Christmas?" Boromir carefully worded the question not wishing to sound like a fool.

"Look, I can't explain this concept to you in a matter of minutes, it is a long tale. Shouldn't you all be searching for your jewelry anyway?"

"Aye, that be true. Come friends, our search continues!" Legolas gestured for his companions to search again and soon they all dispersed, leaving Celine alone in the living room.

Picking the invitation up one more time, Celine stared at the cursive handwriting. "I have a terrible feeling about this." Celine whispered to herself.

* * *

A/N: And that completes this chapter! Sorry if it seemed rushed at all but I'm trying to move the plot forward a bit. I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter but I hope it will make due for now.

Hahaha did I trick you with the Ring? The Fellowship won't find the Ring that quickly! That takes the fun out of everything! Middle Earth won't be for a few more chapters, and I need your opinion on something. Should Puggles come to Middle Earth too? Of course she won't be able to go with the Fellowship but she will at least be there with Celine in a way. I already have the ending planned out, so Puggles is merely a small piece in the scheme of things, but let me know what you think!

One other thing, I am not hating on Hunger Games or Divergent and to be honest, I never read the books (dystopias aren't my thing.) But I know I am not the only one who saw major similarities between the two, haha!

Oh and by the way, I'm sure you all caught my Frozen reference ;D


	6. Saving Private Ryan

A/N Thank you to all of you who reviewed the last chapter! Sorry this one is a little later, I've been crazy busy and I've been struggling writing this chapter. I'm still not 100% satisfied, but I swear it'll get exciting soon. We do have a Christmas party to look forward to ;D

ArisuTamaZuki: Haha I'm glad you like my story! I know Puggles is seriously the best!

LovelyBoA: Well here is another update! Please enjoy!

Official .the. Blah: Thank you for your review! I'm happy you are enjoying my story thus far and I totally agree XD Sometimes it is a struggle to read some fanfics. Hopefully as my story progresses you'll still like it!

Aoine: Aw thank you for such a sweet review! I am also looking forward to the Christmas party! It's coming up soon and I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The rest of the day passed without too much of a commotion. Celine spent the better part of it trailing after the dwarf who managed to knock a majority of the things he touched to the floor. She picked up furniture, Christmas decorations, and a few other knick-knacks as the dwarf, who about as careful as a stampeding elephant, pushed them to the floor.

Celine would have joined in with the search if she had not received such a terrible phone call from her publisher. The times she wasn't picking up things, she was studying her text trying to find portions that held the smallest resemblance to "Anne of Green Gables."

Which was none.

Also, not to mention that every hour the grandfather clock would chime loudly and echo through the large home. After having the Fellowship react terribly the first two times, Celine took it upon herself to announce each hour that the Grandfather clock was going to chime.

The hours trickled by and Gandalf was nowhere to be seen. Some of the Fellowship, especially Frodo, were growing uneasy. Celine however, completely forgot that Gandalf was outside. She was studying her document so intently Puggles had to come over and physically nudge her so she would let her outside.

"Time to tinkle Puggles?" Puggles moved in circles in her excitement to pee. Celine stood up from the couch and moved to her back door and opened it a smidge. When I say smidge I mean like 8 inches cause Puggles has yet to learn the art of sucking in her tummy.

Watching Puggles carefully, Celine noticed that the sun was getting lower and lower, signaling the end of the day. Puggles did her shit, literally, and bolted back into the house where Celine was waiting with a small hand towel to wipe her paws.

"Alright, off you go." Celine finished up wiping her dog's feet and sent the heifer on her way. The Fellowship had been searching for hours and Celine assumed they hadn't found anything. The young woman made her way to her room where her phone was charging. Seeing as the dwarf obliterated her house phone, she had to call her mom on her cellphone.

"Merry, what's this?"

Celine turned a corner and saw her bedroom door wide open. Jaw dropping she stomped her way into her room prepared to scold who ever entered her domain, but instead her jaw dropped and her face turned as red as Clifford the Big Red Fucking Dog.

"That's just left over fabric I suppose. Seems sort of useless though. You can't make anything with such little cloth." Merry responded as Celine watched him pick up one of her lacy thongs. "It feels scratchy, and its put together funny."

"What are you doing?! Put that down!" Celine screeched. The hobbits jumped in surprise and released their grips on her thongs. The moved backwards and looked like guilty children who broke the neighbor's toy.

Celine rushed over to the side of the room and snatched up her two thongs and shoved them back into her drawer. She was 26; she shouldn't have been so embarrassed about it. But to her, thongs were the most mortifying things to buy. Especially when 18-year-old girls are in the line with her and are shooting her weird looks like she should be shopping in the granny-panty department.

"What are you doing in my room?" Celine turned back around to see the two hobbits look every which way but at her.

"Looking for the Ring milady." Pippin answered, though he sounded like he was asking more of a question that answering my own.

"I can guarantee you that Puggles is not so skilled that she can know open drawers." Celine grinded her teeth while trying to gain control of her blushing. Pale people problems.

"Merely double checking Miss Celine." Merry piped in. "We have searched everywhere is your home, but to no avail did we find it."

"This was the last place that we hadn't searched." Pippin said.

"Trust me, it's not in here." Celine rolled her eyes. "But I will thoroughly search my room tonight. I do not want anyone going through my things; you'll all probably end up breaking something. Anyway, shoo. Go find Gandalf or something, I don't think he's back yet." The hobbits scrambled out of my room and probably went in search for their other companions.

Celine sighed and moved towards her nightstand and unplugged her phone. Pressing the home button she checked to see if she had any notifications, texts, phone calls, all that jazz. She had two missed calls, one from unknown number, and the other from her mom. Entering her passcode she held the phone up to her ear to listen to her mom's voicemail.

_"Hello darling! I'm just calling to get a daily update from you; I miss you and your father terribly! Paris is beautiful but I wish I could be home spending the day with you! Any who, I know Mrs. Beatrice probably dropped off her invitations to her Christmas party yesterday. Unfortunately, as you know, you father and I will not be able to go. But darling you should! It will be so much fun! Don't forget to bring a bottle of our Champagne to the party as a thank-you! I have to go now, miss and love you my __petite citrouille! Ta-ta!"_

Celine groaned having been reminded of the party that was coming up. The worst part about it is that she would have to put real clothes on and actually run a brush through her hair. No wait- the absolute worst part would be if the Fellowship came. Just kill me now.

"Gandalf! You have returned!" Celine heard a male voice call from the first floor. Descending the steps she saw Gandalf in her kitchen removing his fugly hat and placing it on the counter. She moved and leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, listening to what Gandalf was saying.

"I have indeed returned my friends." The elderly wizard sighed. He had been gone most of the day and dreaded his discovery, or that lack of. "I have searched far beyond the borders of the woods for a source, some sort of magical force that could have contributed to our arrival."

"What did you find my friend?" Aragorn asked stepping towards him.

"Nothing, nothing at all." The Fellowship looked crestfallen at the wizard's news and to be honest I was too. I wanted the house to myself again. "But I shall search the texts of this realm, it has been but one day. I am sure that we will make it back soon."

Despite Gandalf's claim, uneasiness swept over the Fellowship, especially among the hobbits. What were they to do if they could not return? It would be the ruin of Middle Earth and they would never see their loved ones again. It was also unlikely that they would be able to adapt to such a strange world.

Celine watched the fleeting expressions cross the Fellowships faces. She felt slightly bad for them, I mean, she wasn't heartless, because honestly she wanted them to go back.

Wow that makes me sound bitchy.

"Err," Celine started not really sure how to approach such a moody group. "I feel slightly obligated to apologize since my dog can't speak. But honestly, I think you'll find a way back soon. Cheer up. Look at the bright side of things."

Boromir lifted his head and looked at the woman. "And what would that be milady?"

"Well, for starters, you all are still alive. Any day I can get out of bed is a good one." Celine shrugged. "I know I'll really appreciate getting out of bed in the morning when I'm 80."

"The lady is right, let us not delve into our sorrows." The wizard nodded moving towards the men. "For I do not doubt we shall return, but for the mean time, we must find a place to stay. We assured the lady that we would not intrude for more than one night." Gandalf looked towards me and gave me a weak smile. "Your kindness is refreshing milady, and we all truly thank you for your hospitality."

Celine blanched. Hospitality? Hospitality?! All I've done is shout and curse at these folk and he's thanking me for that?! She said nothing as the rest of the Fellowship nodded their thanks.

"Where shall we go Gandalf?" Pippin asked trailing after the wizard as he moved to the front of the house to where their weapons were stored. The rest of the group soon trailed after but Celine stayed in the doorway in the kitchen, though she was still listening.

"I know not my dear Pippin. Perhaps we may seek refuge in the woods from where we came. It may not be the warmest, but it will have to do. We can possibly return in the morning to continue our search." Gandalf's eyes flicked towards the kitchen where he knew Celine would be listening.

Celine was indeed listening, it was kind of hard not to. She grit her teeth and tried to ignore Gandalf. They were leaving, which was good. They would finally be out of her hair. That's what she wanted.

"We will hopefully survive the night, for the ground is cold and our cloaks are thin." The wizard continued to speak.

The dwarf would be gone and her furniture would live.

"Remember young hobbits, do not fall asleep while we rest, for if you do, you might not wake up."

She wouldn't have to deal with Middle Earth's ignorant people.

"Perhaps a small fire may keep us warm, but I doubt it would last the night."

No Celine, do not say it.

"Are you ready? Come my friends, the cold awaits."

Celine! Keep your mouth shut!

The Fellowship popped back into the kitchen to see Celine having an internal war with herself. Her face was scrunched up and her hands were balled into little fists.

"Goodbye Miss Celine. Perhaps we may see you in the morn?" Gandalf said with a slight twinkle in his eye. He beckoned the company to follow him, though he doubted he would make it out the door.

"Wait!"

Damn, I said it.

The Fellowship stopped their march and slowly turned around to glance at the young woman. She held a look of pure fury on her face as she folded her arms and tapped her foot on the kitchen tile. She muttered something while staring angrily down at the ground. Only the elf heard her but he made no indication that he did so.

"Say again milady?" Aragorn urged the woman to speak again because he could not clearly understand her.

"I said, you guys don't have to go. You can stay here until you find your dumb jewelry." She growled seeming quite upset at what she had to say.

"My lady, we wish not to intrude on your home. You have shown us much kindness and-." Aragorn replied like the gentleman he was.

"Just accept my offer before I change my mind." Celine said finally looking up at the Fellowship.

"Then we shall my child, we thank you again for your hospitality." Gandalf smiled at the young woman. The Fellowship moved back in towards the house and it finally clicked in Celine's head. Her jaw dropped as she watched the wizard hum by her and moved towards the staircase to put his belongings in the spare room.

That conniving, manipulative, son of a-.

"I thank you milady."

Celine looked down and saw Frodo Baggins standing next to her. He was one of the few in the Fellowship that did not often seek out her presence. Not that she could really blame him though. He looked a little better than he did the previous day. His cheeks had a little more color and he did not seem as jumpy as before. Perhaps losing the Ring did him some good.

Thanks Puggles.

Celine opened her mouth to dismiss his thanks but he cut her off before she could speak. "Truly my lady. I regret my actions of late. You have treated us with nothing but kindness and I have always been tense around you. I will not lie and say that I did not trust you. But I will to extend my apologies for my behavior as of late. I have no excuse except for my heart has been heavy; carrying the Ring is no easy task. But I do not regret it in the least."

Well damn, this hobbit speaks so eloquently I should have him write my books.

Celine sighed and put her hand on Frodo's head and paused before she ruffled his curly locks. Celine said nothing, not really having any idea on how to respond. She gave him a small smile, to which the hobbit returned, before Frodo moved with the others up the staircase.

Celine sighed and ran her hand over her face. So the Fellowship was staying, for who knows how long. Great. Fantastic. Splendid.

She suddenly felt the ground in the kitchen vibrate as she watched her pudgy pug trot across the tile and plop its butt in front of her.

Celine arched an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" Puggles grinned and lowered her head to chew on her owner's toes but Celine was prepared this time. Stepping back quickly she managed to avoid the dogs teeth. Scooping up her dog, Celine grunted as she lifted the dog and rested the heifer against her chest.

"Ha, you thought you'd get mummy's toes?" Celine grinned and planted a kiss on the dogs folded ear. "I wasn't born yesterday you know." Puggles looked back around at her owners face and narrowed her eyes at Celine. "What? Don't give me that look." Puggles did nothing but look at her owner.

Celine shifted Puggles into one arm, but rested most of the dogs weight on her hip. Taking her free hand she smacked her chest a little bit and turned to her pug grinning. Celine moved her head and burped in front of Puggles face who just moved in closer to sniff the human food breath residue.

"Sorry Puggles, no human food for you. But you are more than welcome to smell-." Unfortunately the pug did not appreciate her owners taunting so scrunching up her face she turned and sneezed into Celine's face, who in fact was in the middle of talking.

Celine scrunched her eyes and wiped her face immediately with her free hand. "That was disgusting." Celine plopped her dog on the floor and ran to the kitchen sink to spray her face with water.

Can't say that I didn't deserve that though.

* * *

The remainder of the day passed pretty much the same as the day before. Celine shoved some food in the over, explained to the hobbits that they were never going to have alcohol, fed her dog, and gave Gandalf the quickest run down of the objects she was using.

Celine finished her two slices of pizza before moving back to the cabinet to grab a pack of popcorn. Today was the night she was going to have her Harry Potter marathon. The Fellowship was not going to mess up her plans tonight.

Throwing the popcorn in the microwave and pressing start, she turned back to the Fellowship who had finished their dinner. She began to clear the plates, after urging the rest of them to sit down and let her do it. Honestly, a little help would have been nice but they do not know how to stack dishes in the dishwasher. And she was not about to spend the time explaining it.

"So," Celine started. "since you will be here for God knows how long, I'd appreciate it if we kept the same rules. No weapons, no touching. Capisce? Sorry, slang. Agreed?" Celine finished as she saw the Fellowship nod in their understanding. "Fantastic. Well, I'm going to have a movie marathon. You all can join if you want," Please don't, but manners. Have to pretend I have a few manners. "Or do your own thing."

The microwave beeped and Celine turned around to grab her bag of popcorn. With a few "ouch", "shit", "oh that's hot", Celine managed to get the popcorn into a bowl. While she was struggling with that, the Fellowship was debating on what to do.

"Gandalf, the light has faded outdoors, is there nothing else we can do for our search? We have already searched a majority of the house. What could we have missed?" Frodo looked to Gandalf.

Gandalf stroked his beard for a moment. "My dear Frodo, I believe it is time for you take this moment for yourself. There is not much we can do without the day; I daresay I cannot search the forest once again. Perhaps I shall try again tomorrow. My friends, we can have just one night for ourselves. There is no need to keep watch, we are at peace. Enjoy it while we may."

Celine then turned around while popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth. She had to keep herself from moaning in delight as that would be slightly sexual and therefore mortifying. "Alright, don't burn down my house. Feel free to eat whatever you- no scratch that. If you see something you don't recognize, ask me before you eat it." Seeing as Pippin was close to drinking out of the toilet, that seemed like a logical idea.

Picking up her bowl of popcorn, Celine moved to the neighboring room. She placed the bowl on the table and crouched down by her fireplace. It was a gas fireplace, thank God, so she could operate it on her own. Quickly turning the dial she wrenched her hand out of the fireplace to avoid the intense heat. The fire was lit and Celine moved back to a corner of the room where her family's DVDs were stored.

"Skyfall, no, Spirited Away, no…. Harry Potter where are you?" Celine moved piles of DVDs around looking for her favorite wizard.

No offense Gandalf.

"What are these?" Celine turned her head slightly to see Merry and Pippin stare at some of the DVDs that had fallen to the floor. Pippin picked one up and turned it every which way, and looking extremely confused at the case. "What is… Mean Girls?" The hobbit asked. He then proceeded to shake it slightly, making the loose DVD fly around in the case.

"Hey!" Celine snatched that out of his hand. "You might scratch it!" Celine popped the case open and clicked the DVD back in its place.

"What is it?" The hobbits repeated their question, completely dumbfounded at the thing.

"This," Celine held up the DVD case so the hobbits could see the cover. "is God's greatest creation."

Alright maybe that wasn't really a good answer.

"These er-." Okay how to dumb this down? "Rectangle things basically are stories. They are for entertainment. Shits and giggles."

"They are story tellers?" Sam piped up from the back where he and Frodo were standing.

Whipping around so fast her hair nearly gave her a whiplash, Celine stuck her finger at Sam with a huge grin on her face. "EXACTLY! They are storytellers! Each of them tells a different story."

"What kind of stories?" Merry asked.

"All kinds of stories. Now where is it?" Celine muttered still moving DVD's aside. She had a ton, we can thank the sales on Black Friday for that.

"How does it tell the story?" Frodo asked.

"Through the black box." Celine replied not even bothering to turn around. "Order of the Phoenix, no. Half-Blood Prince, no. Come on where are you?"

"The black box?" Frodo looked around for a black box, but he saw several around the room, all of various sizes. Some thin, some thick, large and rectangular, and more.

"AHA!" Celine put her full arm down the shelf and grabbed The Sorcerers Stone. Drawing it out she didn't even bother to pick up the DVDs that fell to the ground.

Moving towards the large TV that stood upon a TV stand, and plopped her but down in front of her DVD player. "You are going to hear a story?" Celine turned around and saw all four hobbits looking at her with curious expressions. Celine didn't know much about hobbits but it seemed like they really wanted to watch a DVD with her, but I don't think they quite understand this method of storytelling.

"Would you like to watch this with me?" Celine asked and as soon as the words left her mouth the hobbits nodded their heads quite quickly. "Alright, just limit your questions." Celine turned back towards her DVD player and hit the eject button. There wasn't a disk in there so Celine popped the movie case open and moved to place the DVD in the player. Just one problem, there wasn't a dorky haired boy graphic on the DVD.

Just "Saving Private Fucking Ryan" was looking back at her.

Celine whined and fell backwards onto the carpeted floor, extremely close to throwing a tantrum. "This is what I get for not putting things back." The young woman whined while lightly hitting her face with the case.

"What is the problem my lady?" Merry asked as the hobbits watched the young woman whine and whither around on the floor.

"Wrong story!" Celine held up the case with it open so the hobbits could see. Even though the four of them had absolutely no idea what they were looking at.

"What is wrong with that story?"

Celine rolled onto her stomach and looked at the hobbits. "I look ugly when I cry and I am pretty self-conscious about it, so there is no way in hell that I'm going to have a sob-fest with all of you in my house." What she said was completely true. If there were an award for being the ugliest crier on the planet, it would be her. She hated the girls who sniffled cutely and tears rolling down their faces and for some reason made them even prettier. It just wasn't fair.

"Why would you shed tears?" Sam asked.

"This is a war story. Very graphic, depressing, and based on true events." Celine looked down at the DVD in her hand. "It's a very sad reality of my world, constantly raging war with each other." She sighed and shut the DVD and put it on the TV stand.

"I am sorry to hear that milady. We are on the brink of war in our land as well, darkness is spreading and soon none will be able to escape it." Frodo said quietly as he reflected back on the lands that he and his companions had walked through.

"Yeah I guess, but I think your most destructing thing in your world is your giant mammoth." Celine shrugged her shoulders. "We have the atom bomb. I feel like we have killed a lot more people than you guys have."

"A…mammoth?" The hobbits exchanged looks.

"I don't know what it's called?" Celine threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Giant elephant, dinosaur, Ewok, I don't know! Honestly it looks like a mammoth." Or a giant Ewok, can't really remember.

"What is a mammoth?"

"A giant elephant." Celine replied. "Now extinct." Thank God.

"What is an elephant?" The hobbits assaulted her with questions about every single word she said, which made her want to punch a cactus. Or stick her head in a hole, like an ostrich.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen the remainder of the Fellowship were discussing further plans to finding the Ring. "Gandalf, is there no easy method to finding the Ring? Must we fruitlessly search this woman's giant home to find it?"

"Indeed Aragorn, for no magic on my part could aid us in this search." The wizard replied nodding his head.

"And if the beast ate it?" Gimli asked while glaring down at the pug that rubbing it's behind on a corner, seemingly to relieve an itch. "Shall I have to remove it?"

The elf raised an eyebrow to the dwarf's crude suggestions. "I think the lady would not be overly fond of you bringing harm to her companion. Nor do I find it necessary. Perhaps you shall just have to wait and search for the Ring once it has passed through the animal."

The dwarf sputtered at the elf's suggestion. "Perhaps the beast loving elf you are should be blessed with such a task!"

"I do doubt that the small creature would be able to consume such an object." Aragorn interfered before the elf and dwarf could throw in any more hasty suggestions. "For surely the dog would have choked on it, it is much too small to entirely consume the Ring and the Mithril chain that it hung upon."

"Bah!" The dwarf batted away Aragorn's claim. "The beast is large, it could consume anything!"

The elf bit his tongue as he could easily rebuttal the dwarf's comment, but he restrained himself. He noticed the hobbits had left the room and followed the woman into the room with the large tree. He did not understand what she meant by "movie marathon" and said nothing as she grabbed her large bowl of sustenance and marched away from the Fellowship. He too was curious like the hobbits of the things in this realm, the objects that littered this woman's home were most peculiar. The most unnerving thing was the amount of small, fat, white bearded men that were around her home. They all looked the same and held jolly expressions on their faces.

Gandalf left the group and moved up the large staircase to retire for the evening. Though Gandalf claimed to be doing so, Legolas doubted the wizard would retire so early in the evening. Perhaps he merely wished to learn more about the things in this realm.

The elf's ears picked up on the conversation that was occurring between the hobbits and the woman. Celine was explaining some sort of mechanism that told a story; again he didn't really understand what she was talking about.

"Come friends, let us learn a little more from the young lady. The tales she tells and her explanations of this realm are intriguing." Aragorn led the four of them into the room with the tree and walked in on the point where Celine was attempting to explain what an "elephant" was.

"Ah Aragorn, Miss Celine was providing the most strange explanation of what an 'elephant' is!" Pippin grinned up at the group as they moved into the room.

Celine was still sitting on the floor and looked up at the four men who entered the room. "To which I am failing miserably." Celine grumbled. "I don't know, I give up. I can't remember what your creature is called."

"What is the a-tum ba-mm you spoke of earlier then?" Frodo asked.

"Okay now this I got." Celine cracked her knuckles, taking another glance at the men that were still standing she said; "You guys can sit if you want. I'm about to explain one of the most devastating weapons in history." I think boys from any realm would find this interesting.

The four men moved to the large sofa and slowly sat down. "A devastating weapon?" Boromir finally spoke after a long silence. "How so?"

Let's just say that it makes your Ring seem like some sort of toy.

"Alright, so I am going to give you a brief run-down of this weapon." Celine started. "The atom bomb, aka the Atomic Bomb, is a nuclear weapon. This weapon was created by my country and used during a war that involved the whole world. This bomb was dropped twice, on two different cities, killing err-like 200,000 people in total." At this reveal the Fellowship's jaws dropped and looked of utter shock and despair was carved upon their faces.

Celine didn't really know how to continue at this point, I guess coming from Middle Earth where they kill orcs one at a time, killing 200,000 people at once was a shocker.

"200,000?" Merry whispered glancing over at Pippin who said nothing. "Surely the war was won at that point?"

Celine bit her lip, not really knowing how to continue the history lesson. She had a gut feeling that bringing up this topic was not going to lead to a pleasant discussion. "Um, no. It killed people…not really soldiers. But I guess-."

"Your people slaughtered women and children!" Boromir rasped, as he was completely disgusted at such a thought. He grew up with honor and was taught that warfare was not to be an excuse to pillage the enemy's villages, kill the women and children. It was a battle between forces, not bringing in the innocents to war. "You attacked the innocent in order to claim a victory!"

"Wait a second," Celine narrowed her eyes. "I had nothing-."

"That is cowardly!" Boromir growled shaking his head. Of course the strangers would think her worlds war techniques and weapons were barbaric. But honestly, he hadn't even heard about the worst of it yet. He knew nothing about the weapons and senseless wars countries partake in.

"Oh shut up!" Celine snapped. "You have absolutely no idea what our wars are like!"

"You think our battles are lesser than yours?!" Boromir raised his voice. "We fight with honor, dignity, and leave the battles to men! We do not needlessly slaughter villages!"

"You're damn right I do! Your war is nothing compared to my world! What you fight may seem horrible, we have engaged in countless wars that make your troubles seem like a game!" Celine hissed. She knew she was stepping over the line here but these people had the audacity to judge her world and history's decisions without even knowing the true extent.

Kind of what she was doing right now.

It was quiet for a moment, as Celine had blatantly insulted their quest. It was a tense silence, broken only when the elf spoke up. "You know not of what you speak." The elf finally spoke as he narrowed his eyes at Celine. The young woman held his gaze, determined to not back down.

"I'm pretty sure I damn well do." Celine grinded her teeth as her temper was flaring. "I could list off a number of different stories that were a lot worse than yours. 'Game of Thrones' -." Before she could list off anymore, the elf cut her off.

"You are a child, and know nothing of the world." The elf got up and quickly left the room. Legolas could not stand to be in the presence of such a child. She would dare insult the company's purpose and efforts to rid their world of darkness. So that people could once live without fear of orcs or Urk-Hai slaughtering them. This was had cost them the lives of loved ones, it had affected everyone.

Aragorn sighed and rubbed his hand over his face as he saw that Legolas stood and left the room. "Forgive us my lady, we did not wish to start an argument. The day has been long and we have exchanged words we do not mean."

Celine snorted, as she doubted the elf didn't mean what he said. "We shall bit you good night." Aragorn nodded and motioned for the man, dwarf, and four hobbits to follow him. None of which argued and they all refused to meet Celine's eyes.

Watching them exit her living room, Celine let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. Puggles, who was huddling underneath the Christmas tree, wiggled out and made her way over to her owner. Being the social breed she was, Puggles climbed into Celine's lap and rested her head on her thigh.

Sighing again Celine began to pet her pug. "I meant what I said." Celine said to Puggles. "Their war is like child's-play…. its not even that bad." She winced as she realized that she was trying to convince herself that she was right.

Puggles huffed and rubbed her head against Celine's thigh. Deep down Celine knew she had been in the wrong, judging them without even knowing what hardships they had to encounter.

Okay actually, she remembered a few because of the movies. But that's beside the point.

War in any shape or form was bad enough. So what right did she have to decide whose war was more important?

Not her.

Not them.

Not anyone.

This is what happens when you try to engage in conversations that have two distinct sides on it. It was a no win situation, and honestly she should apologize to the Fellowship. She snapped at them and insulted their purpose.

But I didn't want to.

Celine was a stubborn girl but she wasn't callous. So in the morning she would choke down her pride and vomit up an apology. But she kind of expected one back from Boromir and Legolas.

Especially Legolas! What right did he have to call her a child? I don't care how old you are; if you're over 18 then legally you're an adult! Not to mention he just stomped out of the room! Ha! Who's the child now?!

"Come on Puggles, it seems like my movie marathon is ruined again." Celine picked up her dog from her lap so that she could stand up. "It's time for bed." Celine moved out of the living room, turning off the lights as she made her way to the staircase. Though she paused at the foot of it.

_"If I take this staircase, I'll have to walk by the guests rooms." _Celine thought. Removing her foot from step she turned around and marched to the second staircase in the house, which honestly wasn't used that often. This one would allow her to avoid the guest rooms and avoid any unnecessary confrontation from the Fellowship.

I'm a coward, I know.

Climbing up the second staircase seemed to turn out to be a terrible idea. Nearly every step creaked loudly when ever she put her full weight on it. Not to mention a pudgy pug did not make it any quieter either. Reaching the top of the staircase Celine quickly made her way to her room. Opening the door quickly, she slipped in with Puggles and shut the door.

She moved to her bathroom to take a shower before she climbed into bed and spend the next two hours on Pintrest. Celine stripped down and stepped into the steamy shower. Hoping to take her mind off the past conversation Celine tried to recite the 50 states.

Which she failed miserably at.

After spending a sufficient enough time in the shower to turn her into a raisin, Celine stepped out and grabbed a towel to dry off. Drying off to a certain extent Celine wrapped the towel around her body and went to go search for some underwear.

Slipping on her sexy, Target, white, cotton underwear, she moved back to her bed. Celine searched for her IPhone on her bed, nightstand, and random shelves but couldn't find it anywhere. Recalling the day she tried to remember where she put it. True she didn't really need to call anyone, but how else was she supposed to check Twitter and Instagram? Her Ipad? Ha!

"Review novel, shout out warnings," Celine mumbled to herself as she shuffled quickly through her memory. "Hobbits in my room, ah!" She snapped her fingers as she realized that she took her phone downstairs. Not even bothering to put on her pajamas, Celine exited her room and took the second staircase to avoid the Fellowship.

Finding herself in the kitchen she flicked on a few lights to locate her phone. She moved through the kitchen, checking the countertops and moving aside kitchen appliances. "If one of them took it, I'm going to gut them in their sleep." Celine growled.

"I doubt you would be able to do so successfully." Celine jumped slightly and whipped her head around to see the elf standing in the kitchen, nearest to the window. Upon realizing the young woman was in nothing more than a towel, Legolas averted his eyes.

Celine raised her eyebrow at the elf's remark. "I don't know, I bet the dwarf snores pretty loudly." But the elf would not look up at her. He turned his gaze to look out the window, what he had been doing before the woman had appeared.

Realizing the elf wasn't going to respond, Celine went back to her search and destroy of the kitchen. Trying to retrace her steps and figure out where she put her phone. Walking silently throughout the kitchen kind of unnerved Celine, especially since there was someone else there. It was just plain out awkward! Was he really going to just stand there and look out the window like a dumb cat fascinated with a bird?!

Knowing that this is probably the opportune time for her to apologize, Celine began to construct some sort of decent apology in her head. Okay she was sorry, that much was clear. But what was she sorry about? Insulting their quest, their troubles, mocking their war, or treating it like in was no big deal?

I guess all of them I suppose.

Celine took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry." She opened them again to look at Legolas to see if he was going to accept it.

This elf wasn't even bothering to glance her way.

Swallowing down any insulting remarks she could throw at the elf, she tried again. "I'm sorry."

"I heard." The elf responded.

Literally, what the hell?

"Okay," Celine said slowly as if she were speaking to a child. "this is usually the part where you accept my apology."

The elf still refused to look at Celine. He had heard her apologize twice but said nothing to indicate that he heard her. He knew that he should not have just walked out on their argument; he was above such childish behavior. But the woman had verbally criticized their quest. From what he had observed over the past few days was that she lived a safe and comfortable life. She never once glanced around a room out of fear or concern. She held herself confidently, not seeming to expect an attack of some sort. Her life and this world, was just so different from his own.

Legolas should have accepted her apology and produced one of his own. But he lacked confidence in Celine's apology. She did not sound sincere in the slightest, it sounded forced and uncomfortable. Whether it be because of his presence or the fact that she did not truly wish to admit she was in the wrong, he could not decipher.

Not to mention the fact that he had heard Celine mutter to herself about physically attacking his companions. He had yet to grow accustom to her speech. She swore often and spoke offensive words that sounded threatening. Legolas had lost track of the amount of times she had falsely threatened to kill his companions. At first he was always on edge, ready for her to follow through with her threat. But then he realized that she was merely all talk, she could never follow through with the threat. One of the reasons being that she was extremely incapable of even lifting a weapon that would be able to do enough damage.

"Well," Celine said as she watched the elf refuse to glance her way. "I don't exactly know how to make you accept my apology. I have done my part and stepped up to the plate and did the right thing. I realized I was wrong; I accosted your quest without truly understanding it. I was in the wrong and I have no excuse for it." Celine finished and was about to leave the kitchen, even without finding her phone. Her phone was not worth standing in the presence of a frustrating elf.

Screw this stubborn, pointy-eared elf.

Celine moved to exit the room when Legolas finally spoke. "I offer my apologies as well." Stopping herself, Celine turned around and looked at the elf.

Legolas still didn't avert his eyes from the outside scenery. "I should not have spoken to you in such a manner. My actions were inexcusable, so I too am at fault for the mistakes made this night.

Celine shrugged her shoulders as she listened to the elf. "Nah, you gave me a wake up call I guess. I was acting like a bitch and I realize that now. So…we're good now?"

Not understanding what the woman meant by her statement, Legolas asked what she meant. "I do not understand?"

"Meaning, we are friends again. Okay well actually more like acquaintances. We are not going to hate each other anymore. We aren't arguing anymore. We're-." Celine was stumbling around with her words trying to find a way to explain herself to the elf. They weren't technically friends yet, but how else was she going to explain it? Acquaintances?

Legolas cracked a smile slightly, though Celine couldn't see because he was still facing away from her, as he listened to the woman stumble around with her words. He assumed she was trying to avoid offending him. "I understand. Yes, we are no longer have animosity between us."

The two just stood there in silence for a few seconds, not really having anything else to say. Celine nodded her head and moved to leave the kitchen. "Well, good night. I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night my lady."

Celine left the kitchen, still slightly upset that she hadn't actually done what she set out to do. Well, at least she got one apology down, just one left to do. Moving back up the second staircase she made her way to her room. Slipping on a random t-shirt and pajama bottoms, Celine snuggled under the covers of her bed. Puggles was sleeping sounding at the foot of her bed, snoring slightly.

Leaning back Celine put her head on her pillow and sighed in content. The day had been exhausting and almost ended in a complete disaster. She was just happy to be left to her own thoughts and relax in bed. Not even bothering to grab her Ipad and flip through Pintrest, Celine just closed her eyes and let herself be lulled to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Okay that concludes this chapter. I'm not extremely happy with this one but I really wanted to establish the fact the Celine and the Fellowship come from 2 different worlds. There is bound to be conflict about beliefs in war and daily life. I also wanted to establish the fact that Celine is by no means perfect. She can often be stubborn and quick to judge without knowing all the facts. That's just human nature.

So sorry that this chapter wasn't as funny as the rest, but I do have good news. I plan to release the next chapter on December 25. The next chapter will be all about the Christmas party. I have a general idea of what chaotic and humorous events that are going to take place.

I will be cranking out this chapter in the coming days and I hope you all will enjoy it! Please leave me a review about this chapter and I will speak to you in the next chapter.


	7. Christmas Party

A/N: Well here is the long awaited Christmas party! I really hope this chapter is as good as you all hoped! It is a long chapter and I tried to make it interesting. I'm not completely happy with the result, as many writers often are, but I decided to release it to you as promised! Please leave me a review telling me what you think!

Shannyrox101: I completely agree with you! I think if the Fellowship watched a documentary about WWII would definitely be an eye-opener for them. While I think it would be interesting, I think if I tried to maintain character for everyone, they would not understand a majority of the details. Warfare, politics, government, etc. would just be so different that it would take them quite a while to understand.

KrystylSky: I am glad you are enjoying my fanfic! Hope you like this chapter!

LovelyBoA: Hopefully this chapter is as good as you expected it to be XD I tried to make it amusing and capture all of the Fellowships moments in it.

Harmonieuse: Glad you like this story! Thank you for reading it!

Bobbietjuh: Well here is my next update! I hope you enjoy it :)

Of-Light-and-Shadow: Hopefully I can keep this story interesting for you! I hope you like this chapter!

Aoine: Yes Celine can be like that at points :) But she is going to grow as a character as the story progresses. Merry Christmas to you too and I hope you feel better. (I remember you mentioned something about Christmas crackers in one of your reviews, I implemented it slightly in this chapter, hope you enjoy!)

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Celine had never really been so uncomfortable in her life. Okay, maybe that was a slight lie, because she had some pretty mortifying and awkward moments in her life. But waking up the next morning and having to face a bunch of men, whom she had blatantly insulted and bashed, was definitely in her top 10. Especially since majority of the company pretended as if nothing happened. Which sounds like it would be a good thing, but then I end up looking like the bitch bringing it up again to apologize.

That morning Celine apologized to Boromir and the rest of the company for her remarks from the previous night. The hobbits seemed to have completely forgotten about the events, as they were too engrossed with the toasted strawberry Pop-Tart in front of them. Aragorn, being the gentleman that he was, tried to offer his own apologies for the company's actions, but Celine waved him off, as she knew she was mostly at fault. Boromir grumbled his own apology and the matter was ended.

Thank God.

In the coming days the Fellowship searched the house over and over again. They began early in the morning and didn't sit down until the evening. Celine knew she lived in a large house, but it wasn't like, White House big. How had the company not found their Ring yet?

Gandalf did not venture out into the woods as often as she expected. He poured over countless texts that Celine supplied to him. He looked over her father's world atlas, the various encyclopedias in her house, and various stories. He had asked Celine if there were any books about magic or stories that had implemented a similar concept to their own. Not really having any idea what Gandalf meant to discover from those kinds of stories, Celine still supplied them to him. Celine grabbed her old collection of fairy tales. "Hansel and Gretel", "Rapunzel", "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", and such others. Her hand hovered over "Rumpelstiltskin", but decided to save her from the embarrassment of Gandalf discovering the story of the fake name she supplied.

Gandalf flipped through the books at such a quick pace that Celine didn't even really think he was reading them. And to be honest, she thought he would gain more knowledge by just doing a quick Google search. But Lord help her if she had to sit her ass down and explain the concept of the World Wide Web.

The days blurred together as Celine minded her own business and let the Fellowship search throughout her house. She kept herself relatively busy. Cruising the Internet, checking her Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. She received several calls from her parents, which she always took to her room and she did not want to explain nine unknown male voices in the house.

I'm 26 and I still have to hide boys from my parents.

Unfortunately, the process of locating the Ring took much longer than Celine expected. And as she crossed out days on her Pug calendar, the date of the Christmas party was coming closer and closer. Having the Fellowship accompany her to a social gathering was completely out of the question. They would stick out like a sore thumb and probably cause a chaotic mess. Especially the hobbits. How was she going to control four alcoholic hobbits?

That's Gandalf's job.

It was currently two days before the party and Celine was nowhere near mentally prepared for it. There would be a shit ton of her neighbors there, most of whom she despised, and she would have to attempt to have a civil conversation with. Well, all of them except for _her_. _She_ was a completely different story. That _woman_ was her nemesis and she would need all her wits in order to converse with _her_.

Celine sighed as she grabbed a pen and crossed off another day and stared at the remaining two days on her calendar. She knew she had to mention this to the Fellowship, especially to Aragorn seeing as he felt the need to speak up and tell Mrs. Beatrice that he would be more than happy to attend a party, to which he knew nothing about!

Celine moved out of her room and descended her steps to search for the company. She passed her dad's study and peaked her head in to see Gandalf still flipping through books. He had so many spread across her father's desk that she couldn't even see the top of it anymore.

Hesitating slightly, not really wanting to disturb Gandalf studies, Celine spoke up quietly. "Err, hate to interrupt Gandalf, but I need to speak with you and the rest of the company."

Gandalf looked up and saw Celine standing in the doorway of the study. Creasing his brow and staring at the woman with a confused expression, Gandalf simply nodded. "But of course, I shall gather the others and meet you in your tree room."

Living room Gandalf, it's called a living room. Don't call it a tree room.

"Thanks." Celine left her dad's study and moved to wait for Gandalf and the others in her "tree room." She moved to her large cushioned sofa and plopped her butt down. Sighing in content, just to be off her feet, Celine reclined and threw her feet up on the sofa. Puggles was on the opposite end and was chewing on her left hind leg.

Better her leg than my toes.

While Celine was resting on the couch, fighting off sleep, Gandalf moved about the large home looking for his company. The wizard found the two men speaking to each other in low voices.

"Boromir, Aragorn." Gandalf said causing the men to cease their conversation and turn to their friend. "Celine wishes to speak to us as a group. We have agreed to meet in the tree room."

"What does she wish to speak of?" Boromir asked moving to stand near the wizard.

"I know not, I did not ask. But worry not, I doubt she wishes to bestow upon us ill news." Gandalf smiled and nodded to the two. "I shall fetch the others. I believe Celine is already waiting for us, perhaps you shall wait with her?"

Nodding the two men made their way to the "tree room" where they saw Celine reclining on her sofa with he eyes closed. They moved passed the woman on the couch, unsure if she was truly asleep or not. Thankfully Celine was just on the verge of sleep and cracked an eye open as she felt movement beside the couch.

"Hey." Celine yawned and stretched her arms above her head. Sitting up and looking around the room, Celine noticed that the rest of the Fellowship were not there yet.

"We did not mean to wake you my lady." Aragorn said as he stood by Boromir.

"Nah, I wasn't really asleep." Yawning again, Celine rolled her eyes as her body was betraying her statement. "Are the rest of your friends coming?"

No sooner than the words had left her mouth the rest of the Fellowship moved into her living room. The hobbits entered first followed by the elf, dwarf, and wizard. The hobbits climbed onto the sofa and settled themselves and soon the entire Fellowship was looking at her, waiting from her to begin.

"Well," Celine started rubbing her temples and trying to decide on how to approach this topic. "we have two days."

Frodo furrowed his brow and exchanged a glance with his fellow hobbits. "Two days until what my lady?"

"Until Mrs. Beatrice's party." Celine held up the elegant parchment that held the detailed information concerning the party.

"You brought us in here to discuss a party?" Boromir seemed exasperated.

"Well actually, we wouldn't even be having this conversation unless Mrs. Beatrice invited you all, and you all ACCEPTED!" Celine emphasized the last word. She felt bad to place all the blame on Aragorn, so she kept that little detail to herself.

"What is the point of this? There is no need for us to attend such a gathering!" Boromir protested seeing that there was no reason for them to go. They did not know the woman and they did not even know what the party was for, what they were celebrating.

"You all were invited by a kind lady down the street and you are not all going to make me look like an ass by not showing up. Mrs. Beatrice is the only one in this God forsaken neighborhood that I actually like! She is kind to me and she throws this party every single year for the whole neighborhood!" Celine bit out. "I would truly appreciate it if you all would stick to your word on what you promised my friend. I will be there too and it is not an all day affair! Just a couple of hours!"

The Fellowship said nothing for a few moments, each pondering what to say. The only one of the group that didn't have a worried or bewildered expression on his face was Gandalf. Being the calm and mellow wizard that he was, he thought the group should attend.

"I think sparing a few hours to attend a gathering for the lady is a reasonable proposition." Gandalf smiled as he spoke to the Fellowship.

"Gandalf we would waste precious time." Boromir tried to reason with the wizard.

"I disagree Boromir." Gandalf shook his head. "You have been searching several days with nothing to show. I have been pouring over various texts and am close to a solution to our predicament."

Where has he been able to find a solution? From "Rapunzel?"

Merry and Pippin's head shot up. "We are close to returning to Middle Earth?" Merry asked.

"Indeed Master Hobbit." Gandalf nodded. "But what would good would returning to Middle Earth be if we have no Ring? And if we did return without the Ring, we would have no way to stop the enemy." The hobbits looked crestfallen again.

"But, as I have said time and time again, worry not." Gandalf smiled and pat Pippin's head. "It is just a matter of time. And while we wait," Gandalf turned to look at Celine. "who is to stop you to attending a gathering for our young lady."

Though the Fellowship was uneasy, they realized there was no point in arguing with the wizard. Celine didn't give to shits for the reasons why the Fellowship was coming, as long as they were coming to the party, she wouldn't end up looking like a bitch.

"It is settled then." Gandalf nodded. "You all shall attend this party that our host has mentioned."

"So be it." Aragorn finally spoke up. "When is it milady?"

Celine was torn between grinning as the Fellowship was being forced to attend the party with her, and sobbing at the fact at that she was going to bring men from Middle Earth to a 21st century social gathering.

"It's in two days." Celine replied as she dreaded the fact that she had less than 48 hours to prepare the Fellowship for this party.

"Very well then, we shall attend this event with you." Aragorn nodded as he and the rest of the Fellowship moved to exit the room.

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Celine jumped up from her seat on the sofa and moved in front of them to prevent them from going any further out of the room. "You think it is at simple at that?! Yeah your going to this party but, and I'm no expert, I'm pretty sure Middle Earth parties are not the same as the parties here."

The Fellowship stopped moving and looked at the young woman. "Sit." Celine pointed to the couch and had to hold herself back from shoving each member of the Fellowship onto the couch.

As everyone, but Celine, sat down on the couch, they were most definitely not prepared for the information that Celine threw at them. "Okay this is no social gathering to which you can just show up at. No this is an annual Christmas party." And before anyone could even ask for a clarification of the holiday, Celine began to explain herself.

"Christmas is an extremely famous holiday and ya-da-ya-da-ya. I don't think I need to go over that concept with you at this moment. Instead, I'm going to explain much more important things. Such as your names."

"What is wrong with our names?!" The dwarf gruffed.

"No one in their God damn mind would name their child 'Gimli.'" Celine simply answered not really taking into account that she had just plainly insulted the dwarf.

Legolas suppressed a smile at the dwarf's face, which began to go red in anger. "In fact, the only one's here that are allowed to keep there names are Sam, Merry, and I guess Pippin." Celine pointed to the three hobbits. "Pippin, I'm letting your slide, it's on the verge of weird but I think because of your European accent, no one would question it."

Celine then turned to the two men and the elf. "Your names are definitely not acceptable. You are all in the same boat as Gimli."

"I see no reason to conceal our names milady." The elf spoke up. "We know naught whom will be attending and they do not-."

"Do not interrupt me Legolas." Celine held up a hand as a motion to cease the elf's talking. "This is not a debatable topic and you must save your questions for the end. I have under 48 hours to take on the role of the Witness Protection Program and give you all new identities." Now it was the dwarf's turn to snicker at the elf who remained composed and did not speak out against the lady.

"Let us start with Aragorn." Celine turned to Isildur's heir and scratched the side of her head. "I'm going to try to give you a name similar to your own to avoid confusion. Okay, for the night, you shall be known as 'Aaron.'" Aragorn nodded as Celine continued to speak. "What did you do back in Middle Earth? I didn't delve into too much 'Lord of the Rings' FanFiction in my youth so you'll have to refresh my memory."

"I was a Ranger." Aragorn answered.

"Okay well that is not going to work." Celine shook her head. "You know what, skip occupations. Most people don't really care when they ask; they just ask to be polite. So say ranger, no problem."

Moving onto Boromir, Celine scrunched up her nose trying to think of a new name for Boromir. "Your name is a little more difficult, they only thing coming to me is Bob, but that is such an obvious fake name. Umm….how about Bard?"

I was scraping the bottom of the barrel here. I do remember that "Bard" was a name from the recent Hobbit movies. One of the only few she remembered because damn Luke Evans was a cutie.

Off topic.

Boromir said nothing but Celine took that as an indication of he approved. Moving onto Gimli, she produced the name "Jim" for the dwarf. The dwarf protested to such a name because he claimed the every dwarf's name had a meaning and he refused to change his. Whatever dwarf, if he continued to argue with her she would give Puggles permission to sleep with him every night.

Moving onto to Legolas, Celine literally had no clue for the elf. The first thing that popped into her head when she heard "Legolas" when she was a little girl was Legos. Small, yellow, smiley toys that we could rip the legs and heads off of.

Saying that aloud sounds a lot worse than it actually was.

Not to mention that an individual with pointy ears would stick out, much more than a dwarf. Dwarves exist, to an extent, but elves did not.

So for a name for Legolas, how about Leo? Lenard? Larry? Louis? Liam? Leif? Oh wait, that actually works. "Alright Legolas, how about Leif?" I'm pretty sure its Scandinavian or something.

Celine continued to supply names for the company, all except for Gandalf who insisted on skipping the party since he had never actually met Mrs. Beatrice. I guess that's one less person to worry about.

So Celine managed to have the Fellowship memorize there names and explained to them the importance of sticking to said names. She also had to explain that the party was formal attire and they could not wear their clothes. Now this would also prove to be a problem. First of all, these were all men of different sizes. The dwarf and hobbits would be a pain to find formal clothes for and she did not have the time, or money to be completely honest, to go buy custom suits at Brooks Brothers.

Sorry dad but I'm going to have to raid your closet.

During the next two days, Celine put her very limited sewing skills to the test. She grabbed several pairs of her dad's suits and crudely hemmed the bottoms to the dwarf and hobbits height. Though she had to guestimate seeing as they were not completely comfortable with her pinning needles around their ankles.

Okay actually it was Pippin who cried out in pain as she accidently stabbed him with a needle she was using to place mark the height of the pants around his ankle.

The little baby squealed like I had just impaled him with an elephant's tusk. He barely bled. Grow a pair.

When I say, "limited sewing skills", I seriously mean limited. Celine took her first and last Home Ec course when she was in middle school, which was like a billion years ago. So her stitches around the hem were nowhere near straight but honestly who was going to inspect her work?

The day of the party came and Celine was beyond nervous. She was more nervous about this party than she was to take her SAT exams. Celine placed her dad's hemmed pants, and regular pants, dress shirts, blazers, and formal shoes in a row. She had eight men's outfits lined up in one of the guest rooms where the company was staying.

The hours flashed by so quickly that Celine swear she looked at her computer's clock and it read noon, and the next time she looked it read 5 pm. The party was at 7 that night, so she did actually have to start getting ready. She had to tell the company to get dressed and inspect the finished product. She had to tame her tangled hair, put her face on, slip on a gorgeous yet extremely itchy dress, and put on her high heels. Ugh, the life of a woman.

Puggles was the lucky one in this case; she only had to put on her antlers. Celine bought Puggles a headband with felt antlers on top that looked absolutely ridiculous on, but Puggles honestly loved it. She would strut around the house with her antlers on and would whine and cry when Celine had to take them off.

Celine went to her closet and marched to the back where all of her extremely elegant, and overpriced dresses, hung. The only dresses she managed to buy with her own money were the ones way in the back. They were her homecoming dresses she wore in high school. Which she bought at Macys. The rest, were purchased by her mother.

Looking through her various dresses, she pulled out a short, emerald green, and overly bedazzled dress. Honestly it was one of the prettiest dresses she owned. The only problem is, the material was extremely itchy and she had to restrain herself from yanking the dress up to scratch her thighs.

Pulling out a pair of sparkly high heels, Celine moved back into her bedroom and placed the items on her bed. Groaning she set herself down at her vanity and scowled at the various makeup and hair products that were distributed across the top. But Celine was going to suck it up; she was going to make herself astounding. The _woman_ would be there and Celine was determined to show her up.

After two hours, Celine had managed to curl her hair and place it into a sophisticated updo. It was absolutely astounding to be honest, but while this hairstyle probably only required 10-15 bobby pins, Celine was pretty sure she had used 45.

And not to mention a shit ton of hairspray.

She put on her face, aka makeup, and was satisfied with her look. Moving away from her vanity she stripped out of her pajamas and slipped on her dress. Celine had to contort her body at odd angles trying to pull the zipper up her back. She tried to shove her arm forcefully with the other, trying to zip the dress to the top.

Slipping on her heels, Celine glanced at the clock at it read 6:30 pm. She had 30 minutes before the party started, plenty of time to find a decent bottle of champagne and go over the rules with the Fellowship.

While Celine had been getting ready for the past few hours, the Fellowship only took an hour to get all eight men ready. They all showered and slipped on the clothes that their host had supplied for them. Honestly that was the only part that took them a little bit longer than usual. The clothes felt awkward on the Fellowship and they honestly felt quite foolish in them.

"Merry, one of my pant legs is longer than the other." Pippin said glancing down at his pant legs. Celine had indeed hemmed the pants for them, but it was obviously not one of her stronger skills.

"These trousers are much to large." Merry pulled out the waist of his pants. "I think both you and I could fit into one pair Pip."

Gimli was having the opposite trouble for his pants were far too tight for him. While the elf and two men were not at too much of a dilemma as the other five. After all of them were dressed, well, dressed as best as they could, they put on their formal shoes and made their way to the first floor.

"I still say this plan is ridiculous!" Gimli grumbled as he stepped off the last step of the staircase.

"The lady has asked a simple request of us, this is the least we can do to thank her." Aragorn calmly replied as he gazed at his companions. "Come my friends, the night will not kill us! Think of what we may learn from this lands customs. Perhaps a pause from our search will help clear our minds!"

"Perhaps," Boromir mumbled. "or perhaps not."

"Always the downer aren't you Boromir?" The men swiveled their heads up to look at the stop of the staircase. Celine stood at the top with one of her eyebrows raised. She watched as she saw a flurry of emotions flicker across their faces. The hobbits blushed and some of their jaws dropped. The dwarf's eyes widened and the two men coughed awkwardly. The elf, just like the others, was embarrassed to be looking at their host who was dressed in such a manner.

But Celine took their reactions as a good sign. She smirked as she descended the stairs thinking she had managed to make the mouths of eight men drop, to which she had never managed to do before, but this actually wasn't the case.

Her heels clicked against the wooden floor as she got to the first floor. She was still smirking until one of the hobbits opened their mouth and said, "My lady, you are underdressed! Your dress…. it is so short!"

Celine's smile immediately dropped and she glared at the hobbit. "Wow, thanks Pippin. I was hoping to hear something along the lines of 'Celine, you look very nice this evening.' or 'My lady, you clean up nicely." Celine moved passed the group to access the rack of expensive wine behind them. She opened the wine cabinet door and just grabbed the first bottle of champagne she saw. I mean, they were all expensive so honestly who cares?

"I mean no offense my lady!" Pippin squeaked as Celine moved passed him. "You look…nice!"

"Yes, you are a beautiful sight my lady!" Merry piped in to help his cousin. "Your face looks quite different and much nicer!" Sam elbowed his friend and scolded him for his stupid comments.

Celine stood up and the last comment and rolled her eyes. "Thank you Merry for telling me that I look a lot better with a shit ton of makeup on. Just what a girl wants to hear. My face feels like plastic so enjoy this while it lasts." Celine turned around, holding her bottle of champagne, and looked at the Fellowship, finally taking the time to admire their new look.

Honestly, they all looked handsome, including the dwarf. Celine thought she cleaned up nicely, but these guys put her to shame. Especially the two men and elf. Damn they were fine.

Well, they would actually look a thousand times better if they got a haircut. But she didn't even bother to ask believing that they would have said "no."

Celine moved back to stand next to the Fellowship. "Alright, so do you all remember what I told you? Your new names, your background, what you can and cannot say?"

"Indeed my lady." Aragorn nodded. "Have faith in us my lady, I believe most of use have attended enough social gatherings to realize what we must accomplish this night."

Oh Aragorn, you are an idiot. You don't know what crazy shit could go down.

Okay to be fair, neither did I.

"Puggles!" Celine called and soon she saw her porky, reindeer eared, pug come stomping down the halls towards her. Grabbing her clutch and tossing in her phone, keys, and Altoids, Celine turned back to look at the Fellowship. "You ready?"

They all nodded and Celine sent God a quick prayer, hoping that tonight would go smoothly.

Which she should have guessed would never happen because what should she have expected bringing eight Middle Earth men to a party?

Complete chaos of course.

* * *

Celine led the Fellowship up to the door of Mrs. Beatrice's house. Honestly Celine thought her house was huge, but Mrs. Beatrice's was even bigger. She had more than a thousand Christmas lights strung around the house, which were lit up beautifully. Candy canes were littered around the yard and several Santa's, reindeers, and sleighs were also around the front yard.

Stepping along the cobble stone path that led to the large, double doored house, Celine pushed the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. The party was already quite populated to what she could tell. Several cars were parked in the large driveway and some were even along the street. One thing that should be noted about the neighborhood was the fact that everyone believed in punctuality. No one was ever considered "fashionably late."

Soon the door opened and there in the doorway stood Mrs. Beatrice. Once the elderly woman saw Celine and several of the men she had met a few days before, she squealed like a little girl and ushered all of them into the house.

The house was littered with many more Christmas decorations than her own. It was warm and smelled of ginger and other Christmassy aromas. Celine could hear soft music playing in another part of the house and she saw quite a few people roam the house with champagne glasses in their hands.

Celine smiled and bent down slightly and gave the elderly woman a hug and a kiss on both cheeks. "Oh I am so happy to see that you and your friends were able to come my dear! And Puggles too! William will be so happy!" Mrs. Beatrice smiled brightly. "It is so good to see you all again! Come in, come in! May I take anything for you? Your coat? Any belongings you wish to store away for the night?" Mrs. Beatrice was also wealthy enough to hire a butler for the evening, but she insisted on greeting each and every one of her guests once she entered the house. She was that nice of a woman.

"No Mrs. Beatrice we are fine." Celine smiled but gestured to the champagne in her hand. "I brought you some of our champagne as a thank you gift, where would you like me to place it?"

"Oh thank you! In the ballroom there is a table of drinks you can place it on, I'm sure you remember where it is." Mrs. Beatrice gestured towards the hall, which Celine knew led to the large ballroom. "Oh more guests are coming up the steps! Yoo-hoo! Claire! Claire it is so good to see you!" Mrs. Beatrice's voice began to fade away as Celine led the company through the home and towards another set of double doors.

The ballroom in Mrs. Beatrice's home was something to gawk at. Celine had seen the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles once in her life and Mrs. Beatrice's ballroom put that one to shame. The ceiling was extremely high and several chandeliers were strung to the roof. One 12 foot Christmas tree was placed in the corner and was adorned with red and gold ribbon, large ornaments, and white Christmas lights. Nearly a hundred formally dressed residents of the neighborhood were talking and laughing with one another. None of them were really paying attention to the new comers who had walked through the door, to which Celine was thankful for.

If Celine had turned around she would have laughed out loud at the hobbits expressions. Their jaws may have dropped for her dress (for the wrong reasons of course) but now they were completely dumbfounded at this magnificent room.

After completely walking into the room, Celine motioned for them to follow her to the champagne table. She placed her bottle next to seven others. Looks like she wasn't the only one who thought champagne was a good thank you gift for Mrs. Beatrice.

Turning around to face the Fellowship, Celine sighed and wringed her fingers. "Okay, you remember everything right? New names, new cover? And of course, come seek me out if you feel uncomfortable in any situation." Wow she sounded like a mother. "And please, _please_, do not say anything that would reflect badly on me." Celine pleaded with the company.

"Hobbits," Celine gave her last bit of advice to them. "stay in pairs no matter what. Please don't eat all the food. Don't drink all the alcohol. Just…. eat portions. Like, human portions." The hobbits nodded but weren't really looking at Celine. Their eyes were wondering the room, searching for the food already.

The hobbits then moved quickly away from the group as Pippin pointed out a long table that held all sorts of foods on it. Gimli soon left as well as he saw a particular table with other alcoholic drinks on it. Boromir followed suit, seeing as Celine urged for them to always stay in pairs.

It also wasn't too long before several women, most of whom were married, swarmed Aragorn. He managed to avoid a look of discomfort, as he knew he had to be polite and kind to these women. They introduced themselves and spoke quite quickly with him, doing most of the talking to be honest.

The rule of "pairs" I guess didn't apply to Aragorn. Though Celine worried about him the least.

Soon it was just Celine and Legolas standing side by side towards the center of the ballroom. Legolas did not even looked fazed in such a strange situation; he concealed his emotions quite easily some of the time. Celine wished she were able to wipe her face clean of emotion, which would be a neat trick to have.

The party was in full swing; almost the entire neighborhood was here, including animals. Celine had no idea where Puggles was at this point, probably having a dragging-butt race with a bunch of other dogs. Puggles would probably win too.

She practiced quite a lot.

"You look uneasy my lady." Celine turned to look at Legolas who had yet to leave her side. She shrugged her shoulders, as she couldn't really deny his statement.

"Yeah, I guess you could say I am. I'll loosen up as soon as I have a drink in my hand."

Legolas did not reply for a moment. "I do not think it wise for you to indulge yourself in drink to rid yourself of discomfort."

"Good thing you're not my mother then." Celine grinned as she prepared to move towards the table that held the alcohol, not caring if the elf bothered to follow her or not.

"Ah Saline! So nice to see you!" A sickly sweet voice said from behind her. Celine's eyes widened as she realized that she had to encounter the _woman_ at such an early time in the night. Turning around, Celine eyed the lady behind her. She was smiling like a Cheshire cat as she held two glasses of champagne. She had medium length blonde hair that was curled to such perfection that she looked like she just stepped out of a Barbie box. To her left, a good-looking young man stood beside her with a kind smile on his face. Gonna ignore that dude.

Saline, Saline, that's all this woman ever called her. For the last 16 years this woman refused to pronounce her name correctly. Yes, she did indeed know that he name was Celine and it was not pronounced like "Saline." Yup, that's right. She was pronouncing her name like the chemical used to clean contact lenses, nasal irrigation, and other stupid uses. This bitch was…ugh! I do not have enough foul adjectives to describe this woman.

"Saline, darling, I noticed you had not yet had a glass, so I got you one." The woman offered the glass to Celine, which she took.

"Brittany, so wonderful to see you." Celine smothered an innocent smile on her face. "Though I am not surprised you see you here." Brittany raised a _perfectly_ groomed eyebrow at Celine's statement. Still smiling Celine continued, "Well, Mrs. Beatrice did say dogs were allowed this year."

Still smiling innocently Celine watched as shock flickered across Brittany's face. Brittany blanched for a moment until she produced another wicked smile on her face, ready to rebuttal her comment. "Ha ha ha Saline dear you are too much!" Brittany held up a _perfectly_ manicured hand to cover her laugh.

Legolas was completely dumbfounded at the situation before him. He did not know the woman who stood before them but it was clear that there was quite a bit of animosity between them. Though he did not think he was the only confused one in this situation. The man standing next to the woman called Brittany, seemed to be at a loss as well. Unlike Legolas, he was just standing there smiling while he watched to two women exchange greetings. Though every time the women spoke there seemed to be an underlying meaning in each word.

"Well Saline, I believe you haven't been introduced to my fiancé Derek." Brittany gestured to the handsome man beside her. Derek stuck his hand out to greet Celine.

Celine grasped his hand firmly and shook it once before immediately releasing it. "Pleasure." Celine nearly growled out but she managed to tone it down a bit.

Celine, remembering that she had not introduced Legolas standing beside her. "Let me introduce you to Leif, he's visiting from Scandinavia." Legolas began to raise his arm to his chest in elvish greeting, but before he could go any farther, Celine latched onto his forearm and shoved it back down. He gave her a confused look, to which she just returned a brilliant white smile. Realizing that Celine was trying to prevent he from greeting in his usual manner, he lowered his arm completely back down to his side, though he did not manage to shake off Celine's arm.

"Ah Scandinavia," Brittany smiled sweetly. "I just returned from a conference there. Where in Scandinavia are you from."

Knowing that Legolas would have no idea of any country that was in the Scandinavia region, she took it upon herself to answer.

Which actually proved to the group that was not as intelligent as she made herself out to be.

"Poland!" Celine jumped in before Legolas could even possibly draw a breath to answer the question.

Brittany exchanged a confused look with her fiancé. "Saline darling, Poland is not even in Scandinavia, don't you remember our 10th grade lessons?"

Someone remove me from this woman's presence before I shove my glass up her ass.

"No, she speaks the truth. I am indeed visiting from… Poland." Legolas finally spoke up. Celine suspected that he wasn't really following the conversation, she was just thankful for him speaking up.

"Ah," Brittany nodded and Celine hid her smirk behind her glass. She raised the drink to take a sip but realized she should have waited because never trust an elf to answer a 21st century question. "well Leif it is truly nice to meet you. Excuse me for being forward, but are you and Saline seeing one another? She seldom speaks about her personal life." Brittany smirked at Celine whose eyes widened and tried to swallow her drink quickly which just caused her the liquid to slide down the wrong pipe and sent her into a coughing fit.

"Seeing each other?" Legolas repeated glancing down at Celine, who was still clutching his arm. The words she spoke to him did not make much sense to him. Was she truly asking if he could visibly seeing her, or like her others words, had another meaning? "Indeed, I am seeing her."

Oh God Celine wanted to cry. Of course he would the literal meaning to her words. No duh. Of course you can see me you imbecile.

"Oh that is so sweet. Saline it looks like you have finally managed to find yourself a companion." Brittany looked back towards Celine. "Though I was quite worried at first, judging by the state of your dog I worried you wanted your men to look the same. The smashed in face was something you find attractive yes?"

"Ha ha," Celine forced a laugh and a smile. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from straining her face so much. "You are truly just as amusing as you were when we were children."

"Indeed, well Saline it was so nice speaking with you, perhaps we will bump into each other again tonight. Have a lovely evening Saline, Leif." Brittany then moved and grabbed her fiancé's arm and led them to another group of people nearby.

Celine closed her eyes and took one deep breath, trying to crush the small devil inside that was threatening to explode and launch a series of explicatives at Brittany.

"My lady?" Celine opened her eyes and craned her head up to look up at Legolas who looked just as disinterested as he was at the beginning of the night. If he was at all uncomfortable, he did not show it. "I did not understand the complete meaning of your conversation with Lady Brittany. Forgive me if I spoke out of turn."

Celine shook her head. "No, you actually helped." Expect for the last part. "Sorry for putting you in the awkward situation. I didn't expect to bump into her so early into the night."

"I noticed there was an animosity in the air while you exchanged words with Lady Brittany." Legolas paused unsure of how to continue what he was saying. While he was curious about the cause of the turmoil between the two women, but he knew he had no place to ask such a personal question.

"I know what you're hinting at." Celine sighed while shifting her legs slightly. This dress was really testing her self-restraint. It was so itchy! "We used to be best friends."

Legolas' eyebrows rose in confusion because they did not demonstrate any friendliness between each other. "Lets just stay that our friendship declined quite rapidly due to a decapitated Barbie."

"Merry! Merry! What is this?" Pippin held up a circular cookie with a jelly like substance on the top. He, along with the four other hobbits, had gone straight to the refreshments table after Celine had finished reiterating her rules.

"Doesn't matter Pip, grab six of them!" Merry hobbled by trying to balance his two large plates that were stacked to the rim with an assortment of foods. Hobbits were naturally social creatures, so it was expected for them to converse with many at parties. But seeing as they were in an unknown land, not knowing anyone in this town, they excused themselves from that rule and focused purely on the food.

A few people had given them questioning looks, mostly staring at their bare feet. Celine had tried to find a pair of shoes in her household, but none would fit. The hobbits insisted that they go barefoot and Celine could do nothing about it because she was sure there were no shoes within the 100-mile radius that could fit their feet.

"Pippin! Merry!" Sam scolded from behind them. "Did you hear nothing of what lady Celine had said?! She asked us to not raid the food table! You are not doing what she has asked!"

The two hobbits paused for a moment, glancing back at Sam before proceeding to fill their plates as they moved down the length of the table. "Why on the contrary Sam," Merry said grabbing two large muffins and placing them on his two plates. "we have been indeed listening to the lady's words." Sam shot him a skeptical look as he continued to berate the hobbits about their actions. "Sam, I could easily hold two more plates in my arms!" Merry cried interrupting Sam mid rant. "We are not indulging ourselves to our usual standards, are we Pip?"

"Come Sam," Frodo laughed at his ridiculous cousins antics. Each of them were jumping around slightly and trying to grab handfuls of food. "leave those two to themselves. They are two hobbits that cannot be reasoned with."

Sam and Frodo grabbed their goblets, no plate for them, and down at a nearby, empty, table. They allowed their eyes to sweep across the grand room, watching various people laugh and chat with one another. One thing that the Fellowship was having a hard time wrapping their head around was the state of dress of the women of this realm. They had seen dresses of various lengths and cuts that made many of them blush and avert their eyes. When they all saw Celine descend the stairs of her home, dressed in an obviously elegant, emerald dress, the length of it astounded them. Though Frodo was no much happier to see that Celine's dress did not have any of the odd and revealing cutouts that many of the dresses in this room had.

"What do you suppose their talking about Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked and Frodo followed his gaze and saw Celine and Legolas chatting with another woman and a man they did not recognize. They could not hear what they were saying, but it did not matter as soon the unknown woman and man left their company.

"I do not know Sam." Frodo replied watching the two people, Celine and Legolas, turn towards each other and speak.

"This is quite different isn't it Mr. Frodo?" Frodo turned to look at his friend. "This place and the people who live here."

"Indeed they are Sam." Frodo looked to Sam and smiled lifting his glass to his lips and taking a sip. "This is a world that lives in peace, and soon Sam, we shall too. It is only a matter of time."

The two friends just continued to sit there throughout the night, greeting a few people who walking by them with smiles. Nothing needed to be said between the two friends, because the silence of the night and the cheer around them brought them a sense of happiness they felt in a long time.

Surprising, in another part of the room, Gimli was also having a decent time. He moved towards the tables that held the alcohol and an assortment of meats. The dwarf grabbed a plate and moved past people who were hovering around the table. He filled his one plate with only meat, he even managed to scowl at the salads that he passed. What he failed to notice was a group of elderly woman watching him stack his plate. They watched him move around the table, in and out of people's legs, until he was satisfied with the state of his plate.

Grabbing his goblet he moved away from the table to find an empty seat. He saw Aragorn still being swarmed by several woman, some of which had managed to coax him into dancing. Gimli held back a laugh as he watch the man dance with several young woman, none of which he really held any interest towards.

"Oh sir." Gimli turned around and stopped his stride as he saw a round table with five elderly women sitting around it. "Would you like to come sit with us? We would enjoy some company."

Gimli was raised, like all dwarves, to treat all women with respect. When they ask something of you, you do it to the best of your ability. You indulge them in the necessities of life, no matter the race.

Except for elves.

Gimli nodded and moved to the one empty seat at the table, smiling slightly at the women as he took his seat. The elderly women giggled. "So, what is your name?"

"Hm?" Gimli looked up from his plate and completely threw out any rule and fictional story that Celine had constructed for him. "My name is Gimli, son of Gloin my lady. I am pleased to make all of your acquaintances." The elderly women squealed like little girls and leaned over the table smiling at the dwarf.

"It has been many years since anyone has address us with such a title." The woman smiled sweetly. "You have lovely manners Gimli." For the next 30 minutes Gimli engaged in conversation with these women. What proved to be very shocking to him was that they were ecstatic to hear about Gimli's fondness of axes. The women each had their own tale to tell about their husbands, some of which shared a liking of different axes and their uses. Gimli and the women had quite a pleasant conversation.

A loud snap followed by a cry of surprise drew the group's attention over to two mischievous hobbits. They held something mad of a thin cardboard in their hand, but t was split open. Merry held one side as Pippin held the other. The stole a glance at each other as they bent low to pick something up off the ground.

"It is a thin, colored, piece of paper." Merry straightened holding it up.

"Also, this strange object." Pippin stood by his cousin holding up something else that had come out of the exploding thing. They had picked it up and stared at it curiously. They opened and made it pop by pure accident, Pippin and Merry were pulling too hard at both ends and ended up breaking the thing open. It made such a loud and terrifying noise Merry and Pippin that the whole room would stop and look at them with shocked and accusing expressions.

But in fact, everyone in the room carried on with whatever they were doing. They were not even fazed by the noise; perhaps they did not hear it? Or was it normal for theses things to explode and make objects fall out and make loud noises.

"Pippin look!" Merry's piece of pink paper unraveled slightly, thus Merry pulled it apart slightly and it revealed a connected, circular, piece of paper with cuttings on the top. "It looks like a make shift…crown." Merry turned it around lightly as he could easily rip the paper crown if he was not careful.

"Then what is this?" Pippin help up the other object that fell out of the thing and Merry and he examined it.

"What does this do?"

Merry shrugged. "I do not know, but I must say these exploding paper objects are nothing compared to Gandalf's fireworks." Merry stopped speaking as he caught Pippin's eye.

"Should we just double check to make sure that they can not compare with Gandalf's fireworks?"

"But of course Pip."

"And how do you propose we do that Merry?"

The two hobbits exchanged a glance. "By popping them all of course!"

* * *

Celine didn't really know how to strike up a conversation with the elf standing next to her. Every time he or she tried it would end within a minute or so. Usually Legolas would ask a question about something to with the party and Celine could answer it with 30 words or less. A few of the party attenders would stop and exchange words with her and Legolas, but never staying too long.

Celine sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night as another elderly couple left them to move onto another conversation. "Look, I'm sorry. I know this isn't fun, it's boring. We can leave within the hour I think."

Legolas looked down at the young woman who turned to glance at a large clock that was hung on one of the walls. "It is not so terrible my lady. I too have attended quite a few gatherings to which I did not enjoy."

"Really?" Celine looked back at Legolas. "Like what kind? Birthday parties of kids you hated? I can totally relate to that one."

"Nay, it was social gatherings my father arranged." Legolas continued. "I had to attend and converse with several of my kin that had traveled far to attend. I too did not enjoy the company of many." Legolas' lips quirked slightly as he looked down at the woman.

"My oh my, the great Legolas is not such a perfect elf as it would seem." Celine grinned. "Your slight imperfection makes me feel a little better about myself. Not my much, but a little none the less."

"How often do attend these gatherings?" Legolas asked. He and Celine were standing off to the side rather than towards the middle of the ballroom.

"Well, this is an annual party. But not too many to be honest." Celine shrugged. "I go to a few, like the ones I have to for my mom and dad. Launch parties, were a lot more boring than this, trust me. I don't have a lot of friends, so I don't really go out a lot."

Legolas frowned at her last comment, to which Celine saw out of the corner of her eye. Laughing slightly, Celine shook her head. "Oh don't give me that pitying look! I'm not upset or sad in the least! I am not lonely or depressed so don't give me that look."

"I am not giving you any look my lady." Legolas replied evenly. "I am merely shocked that such a charming young woman as yourself would lack company."

Celine was shocked, she was a complete asshole it wasn't really breaking news to her. "What are you talking about? I have a loud-." She stopped mid sentence as she caught a smile forming on the elf's face. "Oh my God, well I might just have a heart attack. Not only did the elf reveal to me that he is not perfect, but he also has a sense of sarcasm. I think I have seen everything now. I can die happy."

Legolas' smiled broadened a bit more, but by no means did he portray a completely joyful emotion like he had just won the biggest lottery of the century. But Celine was satisfied that she had managed to but something else but a scowl on his face.

"Hey." Celine and Legolas broke their gaze and turned to see a young girl, perhaps 11 or 12 standing next to Celine. She wore a holiday, red dress and black dress shoes with a kitten heel. She had a look of indifference on her face as her eyes flickered from Celine to Legolas, then back to Celine. Celine had to wrack her brain for a name of this kid that stood next to her.

"Um, hello." Celine replied back not really understanding why this little kid was talking to her. "How can I help you? Did you lose your mom?"

The girl snorted and rolled her eyes at Celine's comment. This did not escape Celine's notice but she didn't say anything, this little girl was just a girl going through her bitchy puberty period. To which Celine never grew out of if you think about it.

"You're Celine aren't you?" The girl asked.

"Yes, yes I am. And may I ask your name?" Celine looked at the kid curiously.

"You just did and yes, my name is Elizabeth Woods." The girl replied stoically. Oh yeah, John and Rachel Wood's daughter. Celine wasn't really close with this family, so she was kind of indifferent towards them. She did see Elizabeth's parents tonight and exchanged greetings and other nonsense. Nothing too memorable about the conversation.

"You're the writer aren't you?" Celine's ears perked up at this comment and a real smile spread across her face. Nodding at the little girl in confirmation, Elizabeth continued. "My mom says that wasn't a particularly good career choice. I just wanted to see if you actually showed up to the party. My mom also says that you still live with your parents, is that true? Aren't you a bit old for that?"

Oh ho, this little bitch is about this close, _this fucking close;_ to loosing her two front teeth. She is treading on dangerous territory here.

Actually scratch that, she just entered a minefield and she stepped on a mine.

"Know what your mom told me about you Elizabeth?" Celine grinned wickedly at the girl. Elizabeth looked up at Celine curiously, wondering what she meant. "She told me you were an accident."

Boom. Bomb exploded.

Celine got no further as Elizabeth growled and stomped away huffing and calling for her mom.

"That was not so courteous."

"Courteous?!" Celine looked at Legolas incredulously. "She just insulted me, to my face! At least Brittany had the audacity to hide her insults so they didn't look so obvious!"

"She is just a child, children often repeat things they may have heard out of context." Legolas continued while straining his ears. He could hear the sniffling of a child opposite the ballroom. "I believe you have caused her tears."

"Good!" Celine cried. "She better cry!" Legolas gave her a look. "What?! She just blatantly insulted me! You think I should have done nothing?!"

"I believe you take offense quite easily." Legolas replied calmly.

"I do not!" Celine snapped. "I'm fine! Not offended in the least. I'm calm, I'm fine. Cool, not offended. Nope. I'm good." Legolas gave her another look to which she stopped her tirade. "Okay, but maybe just a little. But she hit a sore spot."

"You seem to have many sore spots then my lady."

"Okay I got it the first time. Stop, before I bitch out on you too." Celine narrowed her eyes at the now smiling elf as his point was just proven once again. He may have won this argument, but she was guaranteed to come out on top during the next one.

Taking another glance at the clock, Celine saw that they had managed to spend only an hour and a half here at the party. It felt like they had managed to spend half her lifetime here. She felt like they had managed to spend enough time at this party, she should grab the Fellowship and leave before something disastrous happened.

POP!

Like that.

She and Legolas turned around and Legolas nodded towards the direction of the hobbits. Well, the two trouble making hobbits Merry and Pippin. The two hobbits were grinning ear to ear and took off running in the direction of another table.

Celine clapped her hands together in front of her. "Okay, it is most definitely time to go! Let me try to grab those two hobbits before they make they make a complete an utter fool out of me!"

Operation: Move out!

* * *

A/N Okay I am going to end this chapter here. Again, there was so much more I wanted to expand upon in this chapter, and depending on what you guys want, I can either add a second chapter concerning the Christmas party that would implement more of my ideas. Or, the next chapter would go back to the plot and be a step closer to returning to Middle Earth. Please let me know what you think! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter at least a little bit :)


	8. Broken Promise

A/N: Thank you all for such amazing reviews on the last chapter! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! For this one, since I got a 50/50 on whether to continue to the plot or to implement for of the Christmas party, I decided I would do half a chapter on the Christmas party and then the other half would continue with the story! I still didn't include most of what I planned, but enjoy what I have left of this party! So please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

Souffl3Girl: I'm so happy you enjoyed the Christmas Party chapter! I hope you like this one too!

Harmonieuse: You are quite welcome and a belated Happy Holidays to you too!

KrystylSky: I'm glad to see you like it!

Gogoloo: You are in luck! Half this chapter is about the rest of the Christmas Party! Hope you enjoy!

LovelyBoA: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Here is another with a little bit of the Christmas Party!

Literalmind: Thank you for your lengthy review! Hahaha and yes, trust me, I know I break POV pretty often and I have noticed a few of my grammatical mistakes J I appreciate your honest review and I'm happy to hear the you think the Fellowship is pretty much staying in character. That is one thing that I really hope to avoid, I cannot stand a story with OOC. Please enjoy this chapter!

Little Bucky: I'm very happy you are enjoying this fanfic! Haha yes, the title of this fanfic pretty much summarizes the entire mess Celine has to deal with.

Aoine: Glad you enjoyed the Christmas party chapter! It's never too late to give a preference on chapters, as long as I haven't posted I'll always keeps everyone's comments in mind!

PurpleWand: Aw thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Celine thought the party had been going all right. The Fellowship had been behaving, nothing was on fire, and Legolas did not have to hold her back from stabbing Brittany with a fork. So, technically everything was going fine.

But we all know Celine's life can never be perfect. Not even for just one night.

A loud "POP!" turned Celine's attention away from Legolas to see Merry and Pippin pulling apart every single cracker they got their hands on. Celine had absolutely no clue to why they felt the need to attack every table in search for the crackers. They were ecstatic every time a cracker popped open loudly and the two scooped up every crown and toy that fell out of them.

"Oh my God, like, you're actually joking." Celine wailed as she saw Merry grab another cracker and gestured Pippin to hold the other end.

"The hobbits have felt the need to check that what ever they are holding is of no comparison to Mithrandir's fireworks." Legolas said as he watched the euphoric expressions cross the hobbits features as another cracker exploded.

"Okay, first of all, I have no clue who Mithrandir is-."

"Gandalf." Legolas supplied as he realized that the woman did not know that the elves had another name for the grey wizard.

"Yeah okay, whatever." Celine waved her hand in his direction as if she were dismissing his comment. "And second of all, those crackers they are holding are not fireworks. If they were, there would be hobbit limbs scattered around this ballroom."

Slightly disturbing mental image.

Celine walked as quickly as she could in her heels over to Merry and Pippin. Her heels clicked across the ballroom floor and she kept her eyes glued on the hobbits. Those hobbits were lucky she was in a public place because she could not spill hobbit blood in the presence of others.

The clicking of heels alerted the hobbits that someone was coming closer and as the two turned, they saw Celine briskly walking over to them with a calm elf following behind her. "Ah, Lady Celine!" Merry chirped, as he seemed to completely miss the infuriating look on the woman's face. "This is the most peculiar thing! Though Pip and I have determined they are truly nothing compared to Gandalf's fireworks, they are indeed-." Before Merry could finish his sentence Celine slapped a hand over his mouth.

Celine smiled slightly as a few couples walked by and raised an eyebrow. She laughed awkwardly and tried to smile at them. "Oh, you can understand how children are. Vivid imaginations, confusing reality with fantasy." She said as some people passed. Nobody responded, just raised an eyebrow or two and continued on their way.

Whipping her head back around at the hobbit Celine released Merry's mouth and bent down slightly so she would not have to speak so loudly. "What did I tell you?!"

Merry and Pippin exchanged looks, thoroughly confused at what Celine was becoming so livid about. "We have not consumed that much milady. Not to mention we have left enough alcohol for the rest of those attending this party."

Pippin nodded his head and looked very pleased with himself. "Indeed, for hobbits, this is quite a feat itself."

Celine took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as the hobbits completely missed her point. "Alright, that's fine. Whatever. Just please stop exploding all the crackers that you see. It's going to draw unwanted attention. We are all leaving anyway, where are the others?" Celine turned around, taking her eyes off the two hobbits to scan the ballroom for the rest of the Fellowship. Now that she and the company had been there for a little more than an hour, most of the guests have arrived and it was so crowded that it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Not to mention there was a dwarf and four hobbits that were so small it would be a pain in the ass to find them.

Honestly she should have glued a flag to the top of their head so wherever they were she could see them.

"Oh Celine!" An elderly voice called behind her. Celine turned around to see one of Mrs. Beatrice's good friends quickly walk towards her. She was so excited, for some strange reason, and this elderly woman finally reached Celine and embraced her as if greeting an old friend.

Celine was confused because she was honestly not close with this woman. So cumbersomely, Celine hugged her back and released the woman soon after, but the elderly woman did not release her. It was that awkward moment when you were done with the hug but the opposing person was just getting started. So Celine was subjected to standing there and patting the elderly woman's back and waiting to be released.

Celine looked up at Legolas who was standing to the side and watching the scene with an amused expression on his face. Glaring at the elf and prepared to make a rude gesture with her hand, Celine was released. "I am so happy you brought your friend Gimli! He is most amusing! And a gentleman too! Where on earth did you find such a lovely man?!"

Plastering a fake smile on her face Celine prepared to answer with some bullshit excuse, but her brain finally caught up with what the woman just said.

She just said Gimli.

Gimli.

See, this is why you can't ever trust Middle Earth's inhabitants.

"G-Gimli?" Celine stuttered while stepping back slightly from the woman.

"Yes indeed! So polite, such a gentleman!" The woman grinned and gave Celine a thumbs up. "A tad shorter than most men but I do not discriminate. Say, can he come around for tea tomorrow? My friends and I have such lovely conversations with him that-."

"I am so sorry but I don't think he'll be around. He and a few of my friends have some business to attend to. If you'll excuse me." Celine smiled and moved around her and started towards the table where she heard a roar of laughter.

"My cousin Balin is the Lord of one of my kinsmen's homes! He and my kin are the inhabitants of a great mine where precious gems are found that cannot be found any where else!" Gimli roared. The dwarf' cheeks were a tad bit red, probably from his excessive consumption of wine. He was talking animatedly with the elderly women around a table. The group of them seemed to be enjoying their time, several women leaned in closer to listen to what ever story Gimli was telling.

Celine stole a glance and saw that Legolas was still following her, that's one less person she would have to track down. Making her way to the table she tapped Gimli on the shoulder. "Pardon me ladies," Celine said. "but…_Gimli_ and myself unfortunately will be departing quite soon." Celine made sure to put extra emphasis on Gimli to try to communicate Gimli's screw up.

But Gimli didn't even bat an eyelash. Celine's comment went right over this short, pint-sized, dwarf. He simply gruffed and turned his attention back to the elderly women and stood up from his chair and bowed his head. "Well, my ladies, I have found this evening quite tolerable. I thank you for allowing me to stay among your company for this night."

The women giggled and some even blushed slightly. As Celine led the dwarf away with Legolas, she saw several women raise a handkerchief to their eyes and dabbed slightly.

Literally, screw this party and those attending.

Except Mrs. Beatrice, remember, I like her.

Celine kept her hands to her sides to keep herself from grabbing Gimli and shaking him so hard that if he were wearing a helmet it would have fallen off. But she only had a few more companions to track down, if she planned this just right and everything went fine, they could get out in no time.

Finally a sufficient enough space between her group and some of the guests, Celine rounded on Gimli. "I have absolutely no time to yell at you and scold you like a child who stole too many cookies from the cookie jar." Celine pinched the bridge of her nose and took several deep breaths before continuing. "I need you to track down Boromir, Gimli. I don't know where he went, but I need you to find him as quickly as possible."

"Why the rush lassie?" The dwarf asked. "I thought yer expressed interest in this gathering?"

"Just…just find Boromir." Celine sighed and then turned to Legolas. "And I need you to find Pippin and Merry again. I don't care what their doing, I don't care if they are having the time of their lives, have a drinking contest, or saving someone with the Heimlich maneuver. Take them, drag them, do what you got to do and bring them back to this exact spot. You guys got it?"

They both kind of just stared at me stupidly. But I think they got the general idea.

As Celine was about to turn away, Legolas stopped her. "And where are you going my lady?" Turning back around, Celine jutted a thumb over her shoulder towards the center of the ballroom where several people were slowly dancing.

"I'm going to save Aragorn."

A tad bit dramatic she could admit.

With that Celine whipped around and made her way towards the center of the ballroom. God was watching over her at this moment because the song was just ending and couples were beginning to break apart. Either to find another partner or perhaps get a drink to quench their thirst.

Celine weaved in and out of people, trying to look for that rugged ranger. Her eyes caught sight of his figure a few yards away as he slowly stepped away from an unknown woman. He was trying to be polite, that much was obvious, but if you looked carefully, you could see he was trying to mask his discomfort.

Celine was drawing nearer and nearer as she was soon speed walking towards Aragorn, trying to catch him before another girl pounced on him.

Suddenly a young looking man popped up in the corner of her eye and if Celine took a moment to look at him, she would have completely abandoned her plan. The young man honestly was the prettiest man she had ever seen (Legolas is an elf so he doesn't count). He had shiny brown hair and teeth so white he could have appeared in a Crest commercial. He sort of had a movie star look about him mixed with a bit of "boy next door."

Why he would approach Celine, she would never know.

"Excuse me miss, but may I have this next-." The man began to speak but, being the bitch she was, Celine stuck her hand out to the side, nearly shoving it in his face to cut him off.

"Not now!" She said as she soon stormed pass the young fellow towards Aragorn. She didn't even spare the boy a glance! Noticing that the music was beginning to start again, Celine walk-ran to Aragorn. Another women didn't notice Celine rush towards him, and began to make her way towards the rugged ranger, most likely going to ask for the next dance.

Gritting her teeth Celine nearly bulldozed this woman over as she soon plopped herself in front of Aragorn. "Care- care for the next dance?" Celine huffed as she tried to get control of her breathing.

God she was out of shape.

Aragorn look mildly surprised that Celine stood before him, but nevertheless, he nodded his head and bowed slightly. Celine was taken aback a moment as no one really bowed and curtsied before a dance, but to avoid being stared at Celine gave her best curtsy. Which to be completely honest she never really attempted since she was 10. Recalling any Disney princess movie she could, Celine tried to copy the general idea of a curtsy.

Thank God Aragorn's head was still slightly down so he couldn't see her wobbly attempt at being a lady.

Taking each other's hands, they slowly began to dance around the ballroom as music began to play. Not even wasting her time with useless chit-chat, Celine relayed her plan to the ranger. "Ara-err- Aaron, we are leaving as soon as this dance is over. Pippin and Merry have been the deciding factor of this."

"As you wish my lady." Aragorn nodded. "I do hope that my fellow companions have not caused too much of a disturbance during this gathering."

Celine shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, it could have been a lot worse. But how have you been taking it so far? It seems you have quite the fan club going." Glancing over her shoulder, Celine saw a cluster of woman shooting glances over in their direction. They looked like a group of gossiping high school girls.

Aragorn said nothing for a moment, seemingly trying to find the most polite way to answer back. "I have had several less than pleasant conversations. But not all were bad, many women of your realm are quite knowledgeable."

Celine rolled her eyes, wishing Aragorn wasn't such a stickler about being so well mannered all the time. Even Legolas cracked a joke; surely Aragorn could loosen up a bit.

"Thank you again, for coming to this party." Celine looked up at Aragorn as they slowly danced around the room.

"Tis nothing my lady." Aragorn gave her a small smile.

"Well, as a thank you, I'll get off my fat ass and help you look for the Ring tomorrow. I'm sure a new pair of eyes could help your search. And I know the house a lot better than you lot."

Aragorn nodded, giving her his thanks. "We thank you for the offer, but perhaps it may be best to let my company and I find the Ring. We know naught if it shall…affect you in any manner."

Celine quirked an eyebrow, at first not really understanding what he meant. The Ring probably wasn't a fashionable trinket, so he wouldn't have to worry about her keeping it or anything. "Affect me? What do you-oh." Her eyes widened as it clicked in her brain. Now she was no "Lord of the Rings" expert, but she had seen the trilogy enough times to understand that the Ring was a bad thing. Celine was pretty sure she could recall the scene Bilbo went all psycho on Frodo in Ravendell, Rivenhill, whatever the hell the place is called. "Oh I see. Well, if it makes you feel any better, if I do find it, I won't touch it. I'll call one of you to get it. I promise."

Aragorn hesitated, not really liking the sort of situation the woman was suggesting. She did know the home better than they did and he and the company had searched the entire residence. Of course there were undoubtedly some areas among the home that they may have overlooked or perhaps not even searched. Celine's search could prove to be very helpful, but there was a risk. Though, there are always risks in life.

"Come on, trust me."

Aragorn did trust the woman. Despite her foul mouth and graphic threats, she really did display pure intentions. She was an odd young woman, like none he had ever met before. Her eyes shone with mirth and humor, never darkness or malice. They were not close enough to be considered great friends, but as time began to pass, he felt more at ease in her preference.

"I do trust you."

Celine grinned. "Great!" The song they were dancing to was soon coming to an end and Aragorn and herself were towards the center still. The sound faded into the background and people began to pull away from their partners. Out of the corner of her eye, Celine could see a pretty red head slowly make her way over to her and Aragorn. Celine's plan was to originally dance the two of them to a corner where no other women could pull Aragorn away. Which, obviously, this plan was not going to work.

Thus, plan B.

Before Aragorn could pull away from Celine, she moved a bit closer and whispered to him. "Now, I'm going to put your trust to the test. But let me just apologize before hand."

Aragorn gave a look of confusion, not understanding the meaning of the young woman's words. But before he could even say anything, Celine took the heel, the _literal_ heel, of her shoe and slammed it down on the ragged ranger's foot. While Celine was sure this would even make Dwayne Johnson give a wail of pain, Aragorn merely grunted and gave an expression of discomfort on his face.

Logically thinking about this, Celine could have just used the toe portion of her shoe. But, Celine was never one to half ass a plan.

"Oh my God!" Celine cried out, making sure her voice was loud enough for the red haired woman to hear. She raised a hand to her mouth and gave a look of horror mixed with embarrassment. The woman who was making her way to them faltered a bit in her steps. "I am so sorry! I'm so clumsy! I'm sure that hurt! Here, lets go get you some ice!"

Celine grabbed the crook of Aragorn's arm and led him away from the center of the ballroom. Throwing one last glance over her shoulder, she saw the red head huff slightly in annoyance and make her way over to another portion of the dance floor.

Finally at a safe enough distance from any more prying women, Celine turned her attention back to Aragorn. Aragorn wrung his foot slightly still trying to mask the pain. Celine smiled sheepishly, feeling a bit more remorse than she thought she would have.

"Sorry about that, but I was desperate for an excuse to get you too leave. Was it too much? I'm sorry." Celine apologized twice while stealing a glance up at Aragorn's face.

Aragorn cringed. "Nay my lady, I can understand the, uh, meaning behind your action. But perhaps a sooner warning would benefit myself."

"Well, for your sake, I hope I won't have to stomp on your toes again with my heel. Not to mention I could have broken the heel in the first place. Kidding! I'm just kidding!" Celine threw her hands up as Aragorn turned his head to give her an incredulous look. "Let's just get out of here, shall we?"

The two went back to the corner where Celine instructed the rest of the Fellowship to meet. She noticed Legolas, Boromir, four hobbits, and the dwarf were already standing there. Thankfully, none of the hobbits were too intoxicated. Well, at least they didn't look it.

Before Celine left, she made sure to thank Mrs. Beatrice for inviting them. She hugged the elder woman goodbye and made a swift beeline for the front door, pausing only to poke her head into the neighboring room to call for Puggles, with the Fellowship in toll.

Puggles bolted over to the group with her reindeer antlers partly lopsided and her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she was panting from the short distance she had to run.

Looks like Celine wasn't the only one who needed exercise.

Stepping out into the frigid Maine air, Celine and the Fellowship hurriedly walked back to her home in silence. Celine was staring intently at the ground she was walking on, trying to avoid slipping on any ice. As the sun had already set, it made avoiding ice sheets that much harder because the street wasn't that well lit.

Though Puggles was having a blast on the ice. She would take a small running start and jump onto the ice and slide her way down the sidewalk. It was an amusing sight really, seeing a pudgy Pug slide, and spin slightly, across the ice with reindeer antlers on her head.

She had a few close calls to be honest, but she always managed to regain her balance. "Do you need assistance my lady?" Celine looked to the side to see an amused smirk on Legolas' face. "Your footwear does not seem the easiest to maintain balance on such icy terrain."

Fuck off elf.

The hobbits glanced down at Celine's shoes. Frodo and Sam said nothing, being the two politer hobbits of the bunch, but of course Merry and Pippin had to comment on her heels.

"How do you manage to walk in those shoes my lady?" Pippin asked as the continued their slow trek back to the house. "They look quite dangerous. Are they painful?"

"Only when I step on feet." Aragorn coughed slightly in the background and Celine had to hold back the urge to shoot him a knowing look. "They aren't too bad once you practice for a while."

Merry still didn't look convinced. "They look terribly difficult to balance on."

"No, they are not that bad. Quite easy once you-." Celine did not manage to finish her sentence as she had lifted her eyes off the ground, and stepped onto a sheet of ice. She didn't even get a chance to attempt to regain her balance as she soon found herself crashing down painfully onto her rear end.

The ice was freezing on her butt and she managed to fall just right so she landed painfully on tailbone. Personally, Celine thought falling on your tailbone was 10,000 times worse than hitting your funny bone. Celine had to use every once of strength from crying out and grabbing her ass as if to soothe the pain.

Aragorn and Boromir were the closest to her and they offered her their hands. Looking past them she saw the elf suppressing a grin while Gimli wasn't even attempting to conceal his. Though the lot of them were too well mannered to laugh, she was absolutely mortified at her clumsy display.

Celine pushed the two men's hands away and attempted to stand up on her own. She could do this; she didn't need their pity and compassion. But as soon as Celine placed her heel flat on the ground and attempted to stand, she landed right back on her butt. She tried again but only had the same result.

"My lady, please." Aragorn held out his hand again. He looked concern as he watched the young woman fail to stand up on her own. He knew that she did not willingly seem to accept the aid of others, but at this moment she obviously needed to.

"No it's fine," Celine shook her head. "I got this." Celine moved her hands to her ankles and undid the straps to her heels. Sliding them off her feet, she held them in one hand while using the other hand to push herself off the ground to stand on her naked feet.

Her toes were freezing as they planted firmly onto the ice with nothing to protect them from the cold. She slowly raised herself up to her full height, which she knew was not that high, and did not seem to wobble. She nodded her head and moved one of her feet forward to walk, and thankfully she did not slip.

"Your stubbornness will be your downfall my lady." The elf moved closer to her, not slipping in any manner as he moved swiftly across the ice. He saw the woman refuse the help of both the men from Gondor and stand barefoot on the cold ice.

"I am not so weak that I cannot make it home." Celine rolled her eyes and tried to not let her teeth chatter, as her temperature seemed to be continuing to drop.

Legolas narrowed his eyes and any traces of humor left his features. "It is not weakness to accept the help from others. You need not prove to anyone that you are incapable from needing assistance. Accepting help shows one is noble enough to admit that they are in need of aid."

The Fellowship said nothing and even the hobbits quieted down. Celine was mortified; this elf was scolding her like a child. But he was right, again, she was just a stubborn fool. "I know, you're right." Celine held her head high as they continued to walk to her home, which was not so far away now. She did not want to the Fellowship to see the slight blush beginning to stain her cheeks. "But you do not need to scold me like a child."

Aragorn stepped in before Celine could lash out at Legolas anymore than she already had. "Please my lady, understand that we do not mean to treat you as such. But to us, you are indeed quite young. We mean no disrespect to you, we speak only to what we know and feel is right."

Celine shrugged her shoulders knowing what Aragorn said was true. She didn't know the exact ages of everyone here, but she knew, from some sort of trivia thing, that everyone in the Fellowship was far older than they looked. The elf was immortal, hobbits seemed to live three times as long as humans, dwarfs get pretty old, and the men had regular life spans. Or something of the sort.

Her toes were still freezing and she was beginning to lose the feeling in them. Celine never really felt comfortable asking for help as she could assume to could do everything by herself. Though of course there were many times in her life that she had needed assistance, and now was going to be another one of those moments.

"Alright," Celine avoided all of the men's faces. "I could use a little help…please."

Aragorn moved to step in front of her again. Before he did anything though, he wished to ask permission to carry the lady. "My lady, with your permission, I would carry you the remainder of the way to your home."

Celine didn't think of herself as a typical girl per say, she didn't obsess over clothes and following the latest trends, she didn't buy designers bags because of the name, but like most girls, she didn't like it when she was picked up. Celine was by no means a heavy girl, but she did not like to be picked up in case she was to be discovered that she was too heavy. It was honestly to save herself from any embarrassment of course, but even if there weren't a bunch of other people around it would still be mortifying.

Before Celine could nod, Legolas moved towards Aragorn and put his hand on the man's shoulder. "Estel, I shall carry the lady for I have better balance and can move across this ice without faltering." Aragorn did not hesitate to nod as what the elf had said made sense.

Honestly Celine would have preferred the rugged ranger because he was the only one in the Fellowship that really didn't scold her. Of course not counting the hobbits. Legolas moved towards Celine while she put her hands on her hips. "So how are we doing this? Piggy-back? Bridal? Over the shoulder like a bag of-." Legolas moved towards the woman while she was speaking nonsense and picked her up easily.

She stiffened slightly as the elf brought one arm under her knees and another on her back. Bridal it is then. While the elf carried her down the sidewalk, with the rest of the Fellowship in tow, Celine was left to her thoughts and sort of tuned them out.

Celine was sure any avid "Lord of the Rings" fan would swoon and possibly die from a swirl of emotions having an elf pick them up and carry them. But not Celine. Of course there are certain people Celine would happily swoon for if they picked her up like this. Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Neeson-.

"My lady?" Legolas looked down at the woman who seemed to be in deep thought. She snapped her attention back to the elf whom was no longer moving it seemed. She looked around and noticed that they had arrived outside of her home. They all stood nearby waiting for her to open the door in front of them.

The elf set her back down on her bare feet and Celine fished around inside her clutch for her keys. Pulling them out, Celine stuck them in the door and unlocked it so they could all step in. Once the company, plus dog, had entered her domain, they were greeted with warmth that they all desperately needed.

Minus the elf of course.

Puggles scooted past everyone and practically bolted up the stairs, fumbling slightly as she tripped once or twice over her own legs. Sighing Celine padded across the floor and dumped her keys into a bowl that was sitting on a table nearby. The feeling in her toes was slowing coming back to her and the floor tingled against her toes.

Hearing the door open and close, Gandalf came around a corner and saw his companions enter through the doorway. Aragorn noticed that the wizard held a mysterious expression on his face; he wished to speak of something important. Undoubtedly though he wished to make his announcement in only their presence. "Ah my dear friends, how was your gathering?" The Fellowship exchanged a look; only the hobbits seemed at ease with Gandalf's question.

Before anyone could launch into an explanation on how they either loved it or hated it, Celine jumped in to give her two cents and leave. She was in desperate need of a shower and she wanted to feel her face again. "It was fine," Celine said moving past the Fellowship and made her way to the nearby staircase. "nobody died which is always a good thing." Celine paused while putting her foot on the first step. "Though to be completely honest if you all were actually in the Witness Protection Program, you would most likely be dead. Putting that to the side though, I really appreciate you all coming with me tonight. You made Mrs. Beatrice's day, so thank you." Celine smiled at them, though it looked half-hearted as she turned away from them.

The company nodded their heads and watched as Celine ascended the stairs and made her way to her room. As she disappeared from sight, they turned their attention back to Gandalf. Gandalf motioned for them all to follow him, he lead them through a hall and opened a door that was tucked away in a corner. Ushering the company inside the wizard closed the door behind them.

"Speak my friend, for your silence is most foreboding." Aragorn moved to stand beside Gandalf.

"I have no ill news to present to you, I instead have our means to return." Moving in front of the Fellowship, he moved behind a large wooden desk and moved aside rather large books to make space for another one. "I have not been sitting idly as you were all gone, but I have found a means to return."

The hobbits looked at one another their faces lit up in joy. Merry and Pippin embraced, the elf looked relieved at this announcement for he was eager to return to his homeland, the son of Denethor exhaled a breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding, and the dwarf gruffed.

"I had no doubts wizard!" The dwarf said giving a curt nod. "A dwarves intuition is never wrong!" Legolas was too joyful of such news that he did not speak any words against the dwarf; there was no need for such animosity at this time.

"What must be done?" Boromir asked Gandalf. "In what method shall we return to Middle Earth?"

"We must make our way back to the precise spot from which we arrived and at the time we arrived. Once we achieve this, I shall speak the spell I shouted on Caradhras for I believe this was partially how we came to arrive here. The mixture of spells between two wizards caused a rift to open and pull ourselves into this realm." Gandalf spoke carefully taking time to look in each of the Fellowship's eyes, resting lastly on Frodo.

"But Saruman is not here." Frodo spoke up looking at Gandalf. "I had assumed that only our company had been ripped away from Middle Earth."

"That is correct Frodo. For Saruman was too far to experience this affect, but we need him not. It is much harder to send someone away then it is to bring someone back."

"Then you have done this many times master wizard." Gimli stated more than asked. The dwarf was sure that such a wizard would not put them at risk lest something go wrong.

Gandalf coughed slightly, looking a bit unsure of himself. "Well, it is no common occurrence-."

"Gandalf is a great wizard!" Pippin interrupted Gandalf's muttering. "He had surely spoken such a spell in his time!"

"Truly! He must know all kinds of spells!" Merry joined in thinking that he and Pippin were somehow depending Gandalf's honor.

Gimli laughed slightly. "Aye, hobbits you must not understand the gravity of the situation. What if something were to go amiss? From where shall we happen upon them?"

Legolas may have not said anything before, but now that the dwarf was doubting the Istari, he would no longer hold his tongue. "I doubt, dwarf, that you have another sort of method to return us back. You are no wizard and there is no magic among your kind."

The dwarf fumed at the elf's comment. "Oh, and I supposed your point-eared kind believe you hold the highest wisdom in all the land! But we all know the moments in history when your kind has failed us!" Legolas bristled at the dwarf's comment but made no further steps in his direction.

"You sway from the matter at hand!" Boromir cried out as the mingling of voices began to grow louder and louder. "For what will happen if our way of returning does not work. What then? What shall befall every species in Middle Earth?"

Voices began to mingle together and Aragorn stepped forward to ease the growing tension in the room. The hobbits were not bickering with the taller individuals, but merely stood off to the side and watched the scene unfold. Frodo was deathly still as he remembered the arguments that these companions had engaged in before. Was this Fellowship truly meant to be together? He sometimes questioned it himself.

"Mr. Frodo?" Frodo turned to look at Sam who stood by his side.

"I'm alright Sam." Frodo smiled and gestured towards the group in front of him. "It is our companions who are not."

Sam sighed and opened his mouth to speak again but never had the chance as a foreboding voice began to speak loudly. Gandalf raised himself to his full height and began to speak in a much lower and much more powerful voice than he usually did. "Fight not amongst yourselves!" Shadows began to creep out behind bookcases and creep up the walls. Books rattled from where they were perched on shelves and furniture began to quakes. The Fellowship shrunk back from the wizard as he continued to speak. "For we shall undoubtedly return back to Middle Earth….have patience and faith in me my friends. I do not intend to lead us astray." The darkness began to recede the shaking ceased.

"Come now, the hour grows late." Gandalf said stepping towards the others. "I have a feeling that we have little time left here."

"And how to you know that?" Pippin asked stepping aside to let Gandalf pass.

"A wizard always know master Took. I do not doubt that what we seek will soon be found." Gandalf grinned and moved to exit the study. Unbeknownst to them all, the One Ring was already found.

* * *

_Celine_

Upon entering her room Celine immediately disrobed, not even bothering to hang the dress up, and grabbed a set of pajamas. She made her way to the bathroom and began the chore of taking out the horrid amount of bobby pins in her hair. She felt a sudden weight on her right foot and looked down to see Puggles sitting on her foot. Puggles was grinning and licked Celine's leg twice before turning her attention back to her owner.

Celine sighed and looked back into the mirror to continue to let her hair down. "Did you have fun Puggles? I'm sure you did, you and the other dogs do always seem to get along, especially with William." Eyeing her dog again Celine shook her head. "You know my rules though, no boys!"

"It wasn't that bad for me either." Celine said continuing talking to her dog without pausing. The nice thing about dogs is that they just sit and listen, you don't need to wait for them to respond. "Honestly, it was probably the most enjoyable. Shocker, I know. But….the Fellowship aren't bad people per say." Celine had finally fished out the last bobby pin and allowed her hair to freely flow down her back.

Celine hadn't really had close friend since she was in high school, and those friends now lived across the country. She wasn't really used to anyone other than her parents and Puggles around. The past few days never had a dull moment, the hobbits kept her on her toes, the dwarf had her in many moments of laughter, as he would often chase Puggles around the house. Aragorn, Legolas, and Boromir were polite, treating her like a lady, to which she never experienced before. Gandalf was the peacekeeper between her and the Fellowship.

Staring back into the mirror she looked at herself. "They are annoying though, and bossy, they treat me like a child sometimes. I know, honestly! I'm 26! But…" Celine bit her lip. "They are also kind…and funny…and polite despite my bitchness. I'm sort of used to having them around…but who am I kidding! It's the alcohol in my system making me all sentimental! We aren't really even close, am I right Puggles?" Celine glanced down to make eye contact with Puggles.

Puggles was currently licking her butt and not paying attention to a word she just said.

Typical.

Celine finally stepped into the shower to clean herself up from the party. It felt wonderful to remove all that makeup and rinse her hair free from the hairspray. She was rinsing her body of the soap bubbles when she began to feel a slight tremor. The bottles in her shower began to quake ever so slightly and a feeling of foreboding clenched her heart. Maine was never really known to have earthquakes, but there was a first for everything.

But as soon as the shaking started, it had stopped. It was a curious thing, for surely earthquakes lasted more than, like, 10 seconds right? Bah, who cares? She was no earth expert so shrugging her shoulders Celine finished the rest of her shower.

Donning her pajamas and tying her long locks into another messy braid, Celine made her way down the stairs to the kitchen. Puggles padded down the steps in front of her and sprinted to the kitchen, hoping that he owner would possibly drop some food on the floor for her. Celine hadn't really eaten anything at the party, so she decided to indulge herself in some sort of treat. She did survive the night hadn't she? This is a cause for celebration!

Passing through the living room- excuse me- _tree room_ as a short cut, Celine swiped her hand along the Christmas tree. It was just a sensory thing; she liked the feeling of pine needles on her skin. Only what she wasn't expecting was several needles to wilt and fall to the ground at her touch. Pausing mid step, Celine glanced down at the needles on the ground and sighed. She had forgotten to water the tree the whole times the Fellowship was here.

It was an easy thing to forget.

Celine walked to the kitchen and watched as Puggles jumped around on her hind legs as she moved pass the pug. Pulling open a cabinet she fetched a pitcher and filled it with tap water. "Puggles baby, just wait for mummy to water the tree. Then I'll see if I can give you some food. Just wait a second."

Filling the pitcher halfway, she moved back towards the living room with Puggles at her heels. Celine groaned as she knelt to the ground and began to inch her way towards the trunk of the tree. "I'm getting too old for this." Celine grunted as she half-crawled half-dragged her body under the tree.

For some strange reason, Puggles started to grow nervous and began to pace by where Celine's feet were. Puggles started to whine and give a sharp bark while continuing to pace. Celine rolled her eyes as she assumed Puggles was asking her to hurry up. "Oh hush Puggles, I'll be done very quickly!"

She was at an extremely awkward angle, partly kneeling while hunched over like a pouting kid, she lifted the pitcher towards the tree stand. But before she could even begin to pour, a reflection of something gold caught her eye. Frowning, Celine lowered the pitcher back to the floor and inched her hand inside the stand.

At this point, Puggles barked even louder and more quickly. Growing annoyed with her pug, Celine tried to hush her with a more forceful voice this time. But Puggles ignored her and continued to bark and whine, even going as far at to nip at her toes.

Rolling her eyes at the stubbornness of her pug, Celine reached her hand back into the stand and grasped a thin chain. Her vision was slightly skewed do to the dimming of the lights in the living room and the branches of the tree were all over her face. Pulling her wet hand out of water, she tried moving her head around to see what she picked up. Grunting with effort, Celine just tugged the rest of the chain out of the water and the trinket at the end came loose.

Her eyes widened and a grin began to spread across her features as she caught another glimpse of gold. But as she forcefully pulled the chain out, the amount of force and momentum in her movement made the trinket flicker towards her arm.

The Ring swung towards her forearm and bounced off her skin, it was at that moment, that everything seemed to go wrong. The Ring had barely grazed her; it was as if it were just a brush of skin against skin. As the Ring touched her, Celine got a glimpse of something so terrifying and disturbing that she just couldn't look away.

It was like Celine wasn't even under the Christmas tree anymore, it was as if she blinked and everything suddenly changed. She stood upon a tower so high that if she looked down she would barely be able to make out anything that stood atop the ground. Celine couldn't move though, she ankles felt chained to the ground and her body was rigid. Her skin felt hot and itchy, as if an inferno were consuming her. It was dark, so very dark that Celine felt like she was drowning in it.

Her gaze was focused on the black ground before her, her feet were barefoot and seemed to be covered in some sort of soot. Her skin seemed chillingly white as she contrasted the ground, almost as if there were no blood in her body.

Heat prickled her body from something that was in front of her. Though her body moved on her own accord, for she was in too much shock to command her figure to do anything. Raising her eyes from the ground, Celine saw a great fiery eye look down upon her.

The eye held no expression, for how could it? If was just an inferno of flame and darkness that could do nothing but stare at her small figure. A hissing sound leaked into her eardrums and words were spoken that she could not make sense of. The language was harsh, sounding like nails carving against a chalkboard. It was disgusting to listen to; the sound was unlike anything she had ever heard before.

Celine could say nothing as she felt like there were ashes in her mouth and smoke in her lungs. The words grew louder and louder and Celine would have covered her ears if she felt like she could move them. Her eyes were glued to the eye in front of her and if she looked hard enough she would have seen the glimmer of a figure in the center. A figure that was so dark and so full of malice that is seemed to blend into the fire.

But as soon as the vision came, it ended. Celine was back under her Christmas tree, as if time ceased to move. She saw the Ring bounce off her skin and she yelped loudly and immediately released it. The Ring bounced heavily off the ground that Celine thought she had felt a heavy vibration through the floor.

As she jumped back, her hair began to tangle in the pines of the tree and the Grandfather clock struck a new hour. The chimes went off loudly, Puggles was still barking wildly in the background, the tree lit up brightly, and the little children in the train began to sing and move.

Cursing loudly, Celine tried to free her hair from the branches of the tree. The train was making its way around the train track and ran into Celine's ankle, knocking it off the track. The train continued to turn its wheels and the children never stopped singing, it just lay there immobile.

Celine wanted to get herself as far away from the Ring as possible. It was just a foreboding feeling, she felt sick, and nauseous. Resorting to just wrenching her hair out of the tree branch, Celine hurled her self backwards from under the tree.

Puggles continued to bark loudly, backing away from her as if she were scared, the Grandfather clock chimed louder than ever before, and the children sound like they were screeching out every note, and the trees lights felt hotter than usual.

Pressing her hands against her ears Celine tried to block out the sounds of the world. Everything was too loud! Her eardrums protested against the agonizing sound and she had enough. "SHUT UP!" She shouted while squeezing her eyes shut.

And everything did.

The Grandfather clock did not give off any more chimes, Puggles snapped her jaw shut, and the children finished their last note. It was quiet.

Puggles whined and paced in front of Celine's seated position. Walking over to her she gave Celine's hand a lick before nuzzling her owner with her face. "Oh Puggles," Celine scooped up her pug and placed her in her lap. "Mummy is sorry, she didn't mean to shout at you. I'm sorry." She planted kisses all over the dogs face and felt the pugs tail began to wag against her hand.

She stroked the dog's head and stood up to move towards the sofa. Placing the dog on the cushion, Celine rubbed her temples with her fingers.

She obviously had way too much to drink.

Or Brittany put something in it. That little bitch-.

"We heard a shout my lady." Turning over her shoulder she saw the Fellowship trickle in one by one into the living room. "Is everything alright?" Aragorn asked glancing around the room ever so slightly.

Celine plastered a grin on her face, it felt forced like most of the expressions she used at the party. "Actually, it couldn't be better. I just solved your biggest dilemma. Frodo, if you would follow me." She waved Frodo to walk towards her Christmas tree with her; ignoring the puzzling look he was giving her. Kneeling down to the ground once more, she pointed to the location where she had dropped the Ring.

While she expected a joyous grin on Frodo's face, he paled and shakily reached a hand towards the trinket. Celine moved away quickly and stood back up on her two feet. Frodo brought the chain around to show the Fellowship that the One Ring had been found.

He caught the look that Gandalf was giving him and quickly put the chain around his neck and tucked it into his shirt. Frodo felt like he had suddenly dropped a great weight on his chest, it was an uncomfortable feeling. But a feeling that he knew he would carry for a very long time.

"Well then," Gandalf said smiling ever so slightly. "it has been found! This is most excellent news!" Gandalf glanced at Celine and she slightly fidgeted under his gaze.

"We searched and searched around your home and we did not find it." Boromir slid his eyes towards the young woman. "From where did you find it?"

Celine tried to brush aside Boromir's accusing gaze. "I found it under the tree. I forgot that Puggles often likes to lay there in the evening."

Boromir did not look satisfied with her answer, but he said nothing more for the Ring was found. He thought his worry would lessen with the discovery but he felt like the coil around his heart tightened ever so slightly. It was an uncomfortable feeling that always occurred whenever the Ring was within his sights.

"Well then, it seems that we shall be gone by the morrow." Gandalf stepped in front of several members of the company. "If you would be so kind as to allow us one more night in your home, we would be forever gracious."

"I don't mind." Celine replied quickly. She cringed as she thought she almost sounded like she desperately wanted them to stay.

"Then, I must wish you good night my lady." Gandalf smiled. "Perhaps we shall see you in the morn?" Noticing her nod he and the rest of the Fellowship made their good nights and made their way towards the stairs.

Aragorn paused at the doorframe and turned to look at the young woman. "You did not touch it?" He asked gazing at her and waiting for a response. A look of understanding flickered across her face before she gave him a curt nod.

"I did not, I would not go back on my promise." Celine lied right through her teeth and for once in her life, she felt awful about it. Oh course it was just an accident, but she felt bad that she had failed to keep such a simple promise. Aragorn had said he trusted her, and she just failed him. Albeit it was over something so miniscule that it shouldn't really have mattered. Nothing happened, just a weird hallucination due to the alcohol.

Aragorn gave her a weak smile. "And I thank you for that my lady. I shall see you in the morn." Waving awkwardly to Aragorn as he exited the room, Celine turned her gaze to the sudden weight that was on one of her feet. Preparing to make a remark about Puggles weight, she stopped. Her heart froze and her breath hitched. She thought it was just a hallucination, a trick due to the alcohol. It surely must have been.

But there were ashes coating her feet.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as things are finally begging to pick up! Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! As always, thanks for reading.

Oh and one more thing.

Prepare for Celine's arrival to Middle Earth next chapter ;) It is time.


	9. Welcome to Middle Earth

A/N: Thank you to all of you who reviewed/favorite/followed the last chapter! This chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought :/ I'm still not comfortable with how Celine reacts to Middle Earth. It's a little rocky at the moment, but it'll get better.

Some thing that I would love you guys to give feedback on is Celine's character. At times I feel like she is acting much too young for her age, which is fine on some occasions, but on others I find it annoying. Please let me know what you think of her!

One last little disclaimer. I have recently deleted the very first review on any story I have ever written. I just want to make clear that I don't mind constructive criticism or thoughts on what you think the story did wrong or right. No problem, your opinion is your own. But, I will not allow any comments that have anything to do with politics or that could start an argument. It is completely irrelevant to the story and I will remove them. Thank you!

LovelyBoA: Don't worry! Celine will definitely keep a lot of her humor throughout the rest of the story. It's just that there will definitely be some chapters that are not going to be funny/as funny as others as things begin to pick up. I will let you speculate on which of those that they might be ;D

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

Chapter 9

Celine didn't know where she was; she had never seen this place before. She could see the dark, ashy ground beneath her toes and the surrounding rock around her. She furrowed her brow as she tried to get a grasp of what was going on. Turning around she set her eyes on the large structure in front of her. It was an extremely large gate that Celine had to crane her neck to see the top. The architecture was menacing, there were sharp edges at the top and towards the side that made it look like it was meant to keep people out.

Hesitating at first, Celine took a step towards the large gate. She didn't know what she meant to accomplish by getting closer. Celine was curious what was held beyond the gate, most likely something fouler and more sinister. Ignoring the expression "curiosity killed the cat" Celine took another step forward.

Her feet were bare with nothing to protect them from the uneven and coarse ground she walked on. Celine did not glance at what she was wearing because she did not care; her eyes were glued to the gate in front of her. Step after step she came closer to the towering gate. The young woman was a significant distance from the gate that even if she ran; it would take a minute or two to reach.

A screech pierced the air so loud that it sounded as if she were standing next to it. Celine ceased her walking and stood in the middle of the black road watching as the gates opened up slowly. What emerged from the gate were nine cloaked figures atop great black stallions.

Celine had no idea what these things were, her mind seemed fogged and she couldn't think clearly. The only thing that bothered her were the cries they made, they felt like sharp jabs to her ears. The figures galloped at an alarming pace towards her, but she didn't move from the center of the road. Celine felt nothing as the foreboding creatures galloped closer and closer to her. No fear, no horror, no distress. She felt like an empty shell as they came closer.

The galloping caused the rocks the shake and move across the ground. Celine's eyes were glued to the figures that drew nearer, like a moth drawn to a flame she just couldn't look away. The shrieks grew louder as the cloaked figures drew near.

Feeling nothing, Celine just watched as the horse's hooves pounded against the ground. If she remained where she was, she would surely be trampled to death. They were mere meters away and Celine squinted her eyes to try to see what was under the hoods but it was impossible to see.

A dark hand reached towards her eyes, as they were so close now she could hear the heavy breathing of the horses. Celine let her lids drop and she waited for what ever it was to happen. Nothing, there was nothing. No feeling or emotion. Just a coldness creep into her heart, and just like that, everything ended.

Her eyes shot open and Celine stared up at her bedroom ceiling. Groaning she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes and shake her head of her weird dream she had. Turning her head to the left she came into contact with Puggles' behind. Rolling her eyes she sat up carefully, trying not to wake the snoring pug on her bed.

Stepping onto the cold wooden floor of her bedroom she leapt to the carpet. Yawning and stretching her limbs out, hearing a crack or two, Celine made her way to the kitchen. She didn't see any of the Fellowship yet, so she assumed they were either asleep or getting ready. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Celine noted that it was 6 in the morning. Her jaw dropped at the fact that she was so willingly out of bed at such an hour.

"You are up early milady."

Celine turned around to see Legolas standing off to the side of the kitchen. He did not look remotely tired and he did not look like he had woken up recently. While she looked like she had just rolled out of bed, Legolas looked like he was ready to go to a modeling call.

Damn him and that perfect hair.

Celine didn't know a lot about the sleeping habits of elves, as that was just a weird subject in general, but she definitely knew they were different. No matter what time she woke up in the morning, 6, 8, 10, Legolas was already in the kitchen. So she wasn't really surprised to see his face so early in the morning.

Slipping in a Kerig cup into the machine, Celine agreed with him. "Right?! I should still be in bed with my snoring princess." Grabbing a Disney Princess cup from the cabinet, she placed it under the machine to be ready to be filled.

"If I may ask, what has risen you at such an hour?" Legolas moved to stand on the opposite side of the counter watching as the young woman got her mug with strange depictions of women on it.

Celine shrugged. "Bad dream. You?"

"Elves do not require much rest as mortals do, seldom do we rest. Only when we are in utter exhaustion." Legolas paused a moment as the young walked around her kitchen withdrawing items from various locations. "Do you wish to speak of your dream?" Legolas asked. It was customary of elves to ask of the dreams from others. It was rare that any elves dreamed but when they did, they often spoke about the thoughts and visions that they had.

Celine paused before answering. "I dreamed that you were reprising your roll as the Black Swan in the ballet. It was quite a terrifying scene. You do not look good in a tutu. But then again, I don't think I would either." Celine was speaking both the truth and a lie. Truth being that neither he nor she would look good in a tutu. Lie being the dream about the ballet.

Okay that would classify as a nightmare.

Legolas looked skeptical about her answer, but said nothing about it. Instead, he wished to clarify that he did not understand the meaning behind her words. She waved off his question as she took a sip of her hot coffee, slightly burning her tongue in the process.

They fell into a comfortable silence until the sound of foots steps were heard. Both she and the elf turned their attention to the figures that were emerging from the neighboring room. The rest of the Fellowship came into the kitchen, completely prepared for their departure. They once again donned their fugly clothes and pointy swords. Legolas moved and stood next to his companions.

Gimli followed in last with Puggles trailing close behind him. Puggles was grinning and attempting to chomp on his leather boots, something she had learned that she absolutely loved. Celine rolled her eyes but made no attempts to stop the pug, as she knew she was only trying to have a little fun.

Gandalf strode past the struggling dwarf and made his way to Celine. He stood in front of her with a smile upon his smile. "My lady, there are no words of thanks that I could give to you to convey our appreciation of you opening your home to us. But alas the day has come for us to depart. I doubt we shall ever meet again so I wish you a happy life. May the Valar watch over you and the days to come."

Celine felt a tug on her heart as she realized that the old man and his crazy friends were leaving. They had grown on her a bit…all right more than a bit. Despite her constant complaining of them, she would miss each and every one of them. Yes, even the stampeding dwarf.

Gandalf stepped aside and one by one the Fellowship gave them their thanks. Aragorn and Boromir bowed and nodded their heads after they gave her their verbal thanks. "Truly my lady, I know naught what we would have done if not for your kindness. Thank you for you hospitality."

The hobbits were next. While everyone else seemed to be thanking her for her general hospitality, the hobbits focused themselves on thanking her for the food and drink. They loved each new treat they had here and they would miss the tarts that popped.

The elf placed his hand on his heart and bowed his head, extending his elvish thanks. The dwarf merely bowed low and explained that despite her strange realm, he enjoyed his stay here. Celine laughed slightly and grinned. "You are not the only ones who need to say thank you." A slight blush began to stain her cheeks, as she was never the sort of sentimental person. "But…thank you for providing me companionship for the past week or so. It's been awhile since I've had…." Celine wanted to say 'friends' but she just couldn't choke the word out. Instead she struggled for a similar word but could find none.

Pippin had a feeling what she meant to say, so he quickly provided the word for her. "Friends?"

Celine's cheeks flared as she gave a curt nod knowing that she couldn't really deny Pippin's claim. "Yes, if I may call you that."

"Of course you can!" The hobbits piped up. "It is no mystery to us that you are our friend!"

Celine laughed. "Well, thank you again. And I hope you get back home alright."

"Farewell Ms. Celine." Gandalf nodded as he made a step towards the patio door from whence they first entered her house. But a loud whine made all of them stop and turn to Puggles.

Puggles looked crestfallen and stood at the dwarf's feet whining and crying very loudly. She jumped on the dwarf's leg with her two front paws and tried to gain Gimli's attention.

"Bad warg, get down." Gimli tried to shoo the pug away, and managed to get the pug off his leg. Puggles whined and lay down on her stomach with her paws out in front of her. She looked miserable as she watched the dwarf take one step away.

Aragorn and Legolas gave the dwarf a look. "What?!" Gimli gruffed. "We are in a hurry are we not?"

Aragorn nodded with a hidden smile on his face. "Indeed. Let us go." As they all turned to walk away, another whine was heard. Though Puggles did not move, she was depressed to see the dwarf go.

Gimli stopped mid step. "Don't look back, don't look back." He muttered, but that whine pierced his heart. "Oh confound it all!" The dwarf thrust his ax into the arms of the ranger and turned around to look at the pug. "Come here you warg." Gimli put his hands on his knees and no sooner that he had spoken, Puggles launched herself into the dwarf's arms. Taken aback by the dog's brashness, the dwarf laughed and pet the pug while she licked his face. "I shall indeed miss you. You are not so bad for a squished faced warg." Puggles barked happily and gave the dwarf one last lick before he set her down.

Celine scooped up her pug and smiled as the dwarf finally recognized his feelings for her dog. It was no mystery to her that Puggles had become quite attached to the dwarf for some strange reason. Perhaps it was Gimli's boots. But now the Fellowship finally exited her home and bid her one last goodbye.

They stepped out into the frigid Maine air and tracked through the snow towards the forest. They truly did look like the Fellowship from the movies, Boromir with his giant shield, Legolas walking atop the snow, and hobbits struggling to keep up. They were quite interesting people and she would surely miss them.

But one questioned remained as she watched their figures grow smaller.

What was a Valar?

* * *

Celine sighed as she moved back up stairs towards her room. What was there left to do now that the Fellowship was gone? She moved towards her closet as she decided to get Puggles, and herself, out for some exercise. Throwing on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, and light gray, floppy neck, sweater, she readied herself to face the cold Maine weather.

Moving downstairs again with a pair of ankle socks in her hand, she saw Puggles sitting exactly where she left her. In front of the patio door. "Oh Puggles," Celine sighed moving towards her pug. Picking her up gingerly, Celine held her pudgy princess close. "Don't be sad. Soon my parents will be home and we can all be a family again." This did little to comfort her dog and Puggles merely licked her chin and nuzzled her close.

It had been half and hour since the Fellowship had left, and yet her dog was still looking out the door. Sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning, she decided that she should hold off the walk for a few more hours. Just until Puggles was not feeling so mellow.

She went about her morning as she usually did, fed Puggles despite the fact that didn't even acknowledge that there was food in her bowl, surfed the web on her iPhone, and sort of meandered the house.

Celine moved to Puggles toy box in the neighboring room and grabbed the first squeaky toy she saw. Squeezing the toy loudly, she waited to see if Puggles would come bounding over to play.

She didn't.

Moving her hand inside the toy box again, she fished around for another squeaky toy. Her hand brushed against a smooth surface and had a strange shape. Furrowing her brow she moved aside the toys to see what Puggles was hiding. Grasping her hand around the mysterious object, Celine tugged it out of the box so her eyes could see it.

Her eyes narrowed as she took in the object. It was a very long wooden pipe, something that Celine was sure no one used anymore. It was made with some sort of medium colored wood and felt surprisingly light.

"I thought Dad gave up smoking before he married Mom." Celine said to herself and she took a whiff of the end. Scrunching up her nose, she coughed slightly, "Apparently not."

"Though it looks so old Puggles!" Celine inspected the pipe in her hand while talking to her dog, whom was most likely not listening. "Jesus, it belongs in a museum or something-." Her hands grazed over a portion of the pipe that had some sort of scripture engraved on it.

"Pere…grin…Took…." Celine paused trying to let the information settle. "Maybe that's where it was made?" She shrugged and stood up with the pipe still in her hands. "What an odd name for a shop-ah shit."

Realization hit her like a bus hit Regina George.

"Pippin." Celine groaned slapping a hand to her forehead. "Oh course, at least _one_ hobbit had to leave something behind."

Puggles perked her head up as she saw Celine pad her way across the kitchen tile. "Dammit Puggles! This is why you don't steal things! Now Mummy has to return it!" Glancing at the clock she noticed the Fellowship had been gone for about an hour. She doubted she would be able to catch up with them, wherever the hell they went.

Maybe she could just send it in a postal package?

Unlikely.

Would he really miss it though? Couldn't he just share someone else's? Celine contemplated the idea but realized that hobbits were not the most shareful creatures. Especially when it comes to food and smoking.

"I'll try, that's all I can do." Celine pat Puggles head. "And if I can't find them in 10 minutes, boohoo their loss. At least I can't take all the blame."

Glancing outside Celine grumbled. Why couldn't the Fellowship come in the summer? Why winter when it's all windy and cold and snowy? Grabbing her white pea coat, she slipped it on over her clothes and placed the pipe in her pocket. The pipe was so long though it kind of stuck out. Throwing on her ankle boots, that honestly completely clashed with her outfit but she did not care at that moment, Celine straightened herself up.

Puggles danced around her legs as she made her way towards the door that led outside. "HA! You think you're going with me? Puggles darling, mummy knows you won't stay by her side. So wait here, I'll be gone no more than 10 minutes." Celine kissed her dog once more on the head and opened the door and a strong gust of cold wind blew in her face making her eyes water slightly. Pausing, Celine closed the door and took a step back inside their house.

"I actually don't think they'll miss it that much, do you?" Puggles just gave her a look, probably fed up with her trying to delay the inevitable. "Fine, fine." Ushering her body outside, Celine started her track to the forest, only having a general idea where they went.

Looking down at where she was stepping, a grin spread across her face. "Aragorn thinks he so fancy, explaining to me how he was a ranger and could track people. I can track footprints too! Ooooh so hard." Celine half-mocked, as all she had to do was follow the footprints that the Fellowship made in the snow.

Honestly she was just is a foul mood because she had to go outside.

Celine drew closer and closer towards the trees but she kept her eyes glued to the ground. She had been trudging through the snow, that seemingly getting deeper underneath the treetops, for no more than 5 or 6 minutes. As another portion of the snow got in her boots, Celine groaned. Her feet were freezing.

She would have turned around if she hadn't already heard voices. Albeit they were low and so quiet that she could have easily missed them. Moving towards the thinning of the trees she saw the backs of the Fellowship. They weren't really moving or anything, but as she drew closer, she could hear the muttering from the old man.

She was a few meters away from them so she couldn't make out the exact words he was saying. But she suddenly saw the head of the elf perk up and turn towards her. She would have waved in greeting if he did not have a look so intense on his face. He looked like he was opening his mouth to say something, but she had no time to hear it. All of a sudden, a great light flashed from Gandalf's staff as he crushed it against the ground.

Celine immediately slapped a hand over her eyes as it felt like Gandalf was shining a light bulb into her face. The light soon faded and was replaced by something cold and heavy that was falling on top of her head. Her mood grew fouler with every pound of this cold substance that dropped on to her head. But as she opened her mouth to shout at someone, she got a mouthful of snow. Pushing her hands towards the direction that she assumed was up; she began to push aside snow that was attempting to bury her.

Thankfully she hadn't been buried that deep, so her head popped out at the top and she gasped for breath. Her cold fingers pushed aside her stray hairs and tried to remove any of the remaining snow from her face. Finally being able to see a reasonable distance in front of her, Celine noted that nine other heads were popping out of the snow as well.

"Wow, I didn't think we got that bad of snow in Maine." Everyone in the Fellowship whipped their heads behind them to see their young host buried in the snow. She raised an eyebrow to their shocked expressions and completely ignored Gandalf's infuriated one.

Yeah, great to see you too old man.

"What are you doing here?" Aragorn asked trying to speak over the howling of the wind. "How have you come? Gandalf, what has happened?" Celine had no clue to why Aragorn seemed so concerned with her presence.

Did everyone honestly hate her that much?

Glancing around she noticed that she and the Fellowship were standing next to a rocky wall and not a tree was in sight. Confused as to the change in scenery, she turned her body around, as best she could in her current predicament, to look around.

She stood upon a high structure that seemed to be in the clouds. Everything was fogged over and there were mountains in the distance. Celine could not see any trees at all. The only thing she understood was that she was next to a rocky wall, high in the sky, and headed in an upward direction. Great, a mountain. How did she get on a mountain?

The gears in her head began to tick and panic began to spread throughout her limbs. Her breath shortened as understanding dawned on her. Everything was falling into place, the reason she was here, here being what she assumed was Middle Earth, was because Gandalf had somehow gotten them back.

One problem.

Why was she here?! How would she get back?! Where was "here" even?!

Okay, maybe more than one problem.

After all this time, all that work Celine went through to house, and eventually get rid of, the Fellowship, she just ends up coming to Middle Earth herself?! The whole idea was just ridiculous, it was absurd! This stuff doesn't happen! She was never meant to come here!

Despite the fact that she was submerged in the snow, Celine began to feel sweaty. Her hands felt clammy and her breathing became shallower. She was so confused and couldn't make sense of everything.

"Are you alright milady?" Pippin was a few feet to her left. He saw her skin go from a rosy red to a pale white and she began to tremble a little. "Are you cold?"

Celine turned her face towards Pippin. Then she laughed.

No not a joyful, cutesy little laugh, but a laugh of sheer exasperation. Celine was having an Arya moment, like when Arya realizes that after hauling her ass across the land to go to her aunt Liza, said aunt ends up dying days before she gets there. The irony of it was just overwhelming; Celine didn't really have a way to react to such a thing.

"Merry, why is she laughing?" Pippin leaned over to Merry to whisper into his ear. "What is so funny?"

Merry just shook his head as he watched the woman laugh. She grabbed onto Boromir's arm, whom was the closest to her, to steady herself. "I don't think she's laughing because of something Pip."

Pippin looked back at the woman. "Oh…has she gone mad then?"

"You might need to ask her that yourself."

Gandalf struggled his way through the snow to come closer to the hysterical woman. "Cease your laughter!" He spoke sternly as he came closer to the woman. Her hysterical laughing did nothing to help her situation so he urged her to sop.

Celine was still laughing though; she held her arms out to the side in a makeshift shrug. What did he expect her to do? Just stand there and nod like everything was okay. "T-the irony." She choked out in between giggles, but she couldn't finish her sentence.

Before Gandalf could rebuke, a sudden torrent of wind assaulted them. The snow mixed with the wind provided little to no visibility to what was going on around them. No longer was the attention on Celine, but instead the Fellowship turned to argue with one another.

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the gap of Rohan and take the West road to my city!" Boromir pressed as another gust of wind and snow blasted into his face.

Aragorn looked towards Boromir and voiced his disagreement. He had his hand on Frodo's shoulder to keep the hobbit steady. "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard."

"We cannot pass over the mountain. Let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria." Gimli said looking to Gandalf. Celine at this point had stopped her hysterical laughter as her teeth soon began to chatter due to the decreasing temperatures. She had snow all over her body and she was pretty sure some had gotten under her sweater.

Gandalf did not immediately react the Gimli's suggestion. Only a dark look crossed his features, mingled with concern and doubt. The wizard knew he could only take charge of certain choice during their journey. "Let the ring bearer decide."

Celine fisted her hands and brought them closer to her body, trying to contain any body heat she had from escaping. She had only been half listening to what the Fellowship had been saying. The wind was loud and all she cared about now was heat. Something she had very little of.

"We will go through the mines."

Turning around she saw Frodo's pale face and Merry and Pippin's shivering forms. Celine thought she heard something about a mine, but the chattering of her teeth kept distracting her. All was quiet for a moment; only the howling of the wind and chattering teeth could be heard as all eyes were still glued to Frodo's small form. Gandalf gave one small nod.

"So be it."

It was brought to Celine's attention that a decision had been made. Gandalf finally returned his gaze to Celine's small shivering form. His features softened a bit as he swept his eyes over her figure. She was not dressed for the weather on Caradhras, or at least what he could tell. The young woman's skin was pale and snow was plastered all over her hair, making parts of it curl. Indisputably, she must have been confused, afraid even. But Gandalf was not a cold-hearted wizard; he would not leave the woman to die upon the mountaintop.

"My lady, we must make our way down the mountain." Gandalf said as he urged the unmoving woman forward. "You will undoubtedly perish if you remain in such weather."

"No, no wait." Celine put her hand out to stop Gandalf's movements. None of the Fellowship had actually begun their descent yet; instead they watched the exchange between woman and wizard. "Send me back, I have reason to be here! I hold no purpose!"

Gandalf said nothing at first, creating an uneasy feeling in Celine's stomach. "My dear…I would send you back if I could, but alas I cannot. For one sole wizard could not open the drift on his own. It is foolhardy."

Celine did not react immediately. Instead she let the words settle in first and let them echo in her mind. Was her life back at home truly gone? "No…no surely there must be a way." She whispered casting her eyes towards the snow.

"Indeed there might be, but I have neither the knowledge nor skill to do so. But there may be others in Middle Earth who can." Gandalf nodded and Celine whipped her head back up to look at him. "Do not give up hope when hope remains. Come, we have delayed enough. My lady, will you come with us?"

Hope. That was the one word Celine was clinging to. That one word that kept her putting one foot in front of the other. Gandalf did not need to try to convince Celine to travel with them down the mountain, as she wasn't stupid. She would die up on that peak there was no doubt.

Celine attire had definitely not been adequate enough to withstand the hiking expedition down the mountain. Also, the numbness of her toes wasn't helping that much either. She stumbled often but always managed to right herself before someone could come over and help her.

Gandalf led the way, followed by the two men, four hobbits, a dwarf, Celine, and lastly the elf. Everyone was oddly quiet, even Celine wasn't speaking unless spoken too. She was too absorbed in her thoughts to say much of anything to anybody. Celine was going through every little detail she could of the "Lord of the Rings" story that she could, trying to find some sort of character that had enough knowledge or power to send her home. But she couldn't remember much of anything, just bits and pieces of big events. And this is just the first movie, the second and third one she hadn't seen as often cause she would usually fall asleep on the couch. Okay the ending was obvious, but the few details in between were getting fuzzier with each step she took. It was so strange….it was like the further she went with the Fellowship, the fuzzier the details were.

The descent down the mountain took much longer than Celine had hoped but eventually they had made it to an altitude that didn't have such strong winds and snow all over the ground. Celine had learned from Sam that the journey up the mountain had taken several days and despite the fact that they were now going down; it still would take another day's walking.

Celine's feet felt like they were going to fall off and felt immense relief when Gandalf announced that they would be resting here for the night. He gestured towards his right and a few meters ahead of them was a cove. It was not terribly large but it could fit everyone in the Fellowship, plus one, quite snuggly and would protect them from the chilly wind during the night.

"There will be too much of risk with a fire tonight for Saruman knows that we have started our journey down the mountain. It will draw the unwanted attention of nearby eyes." Gandalf said while slowly sitting down on a somewhat dry patch of land. The cove was fortunately not too damp from either the occasional flakes or morning dew.

Celine placed herself next to the hobbits as everyone else filled in closer together. She sighed in relief that she now was off her aching feet. Though her shoes were definitely better than fashionable shoes, she felt that they were rubbing against her heel and aggravating the skin. Her feet were really too numb to feel much of the pain but she knew once they were off the mountain that they would become a problem.

"Now that we are all settled, how about a short meal before we rest." Gandalf motioned for Sam to distribute a small portion of food that did not require cooking. Sam began to dig around in his bag and passed out what Celine assumed to be dried meat and fruit. The young woman's stomach flipped at the sight of the food, as she felt much too nauseous to even attempt to keep food down.

"My lady." Aragorn was seated next to her and held out a strip of dry meat. Celine placed a hand over her mouth and lightly pushed his hand away.

"I am fine, I'll pass thanks." Even the scent of the meat made her want to heave.

Aragorn pushed his hand once more towards the woman. "I insist my lady for we will all need our strength for our journey on the morrow. It will help to have something in your stomach." Celine glanced down at his hand and removed his hand from her mouth.

"Alright, thank you." She mumbled as she took the dry meat from the ranger's hand. The company watched her as she examined the food in her hand. She honestly never had dry meat before because it usually smelt terrible. Well, the only comforting thing about her whole situation is that Middle Earth's dried meat still smells the same as her realms.

She looked up and saw several pairs of eyes watching her. Grinning sheepishly Celine held up the meat in her left hand. "I've never had dried meat before."

"Then you are in for a royal treat young lassie!" The dwarf nodded his head and gestured for her to try it.

Celine took a small bite of the dried meat and chewed expectantly. Finally letting the taste settle she cringed and made a face of disgust as she swallowed. Aragorn and Gandalf chuckled slightly while the dwarf looked shocked at her reaction. "That…that was foul." She said flipping the dried meat around in her hand. "It tastes and smells like dog food." At this most of the company laughed whole-heartedly except for the dwarf.

"I always say never waste a Dwarvish meal on those unworthy!" Gimli grunted. "For the taste is too superb for those with the untrained pallet!"

"It may not be the best my lady but it will give you a more filling stomach." Aragorn smiled and urged for her to finish it despite the fact of the foul taste.

"You can just call me 'Celine' now if you want." Celine said looking at each of them and attempting not to gag as she took another bite of the meat. "I feel like we passed all those formalities when you broke into my house." At the word 'house' she felt a slight twang in her chest and she tried to swallow any emotion down before it bubbled up.

"Very well." Aragorn nodded before he turned his attention back to the dried food in his hand.

"What's that?" Celine turned to her side to see Pippin pointing to the pipe that was sticking out of her pocket. She had completely forgotten about it and nobody before had much attention to comment on the strange stick in her jacket. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out Pippin's long pipe. A look of anger fell over her features and she took the end of the pipe and smacked Pippin's head with it.

"Ow!" Pippin grabbed the top of his head. "What was that for?"

"That," Celine stressed. "was because you left your pipe in my home and in the end, has now placed me here."

Pippin's face lit up. "You found my pipe?!"

Did this hobbit really ask about his pipe?

Celine smacked his on the head again with the pipe and Pippin gave another yelp of pain. "That was because you completely disregarded the fact that this is your fault I'm here!"

Pippin was still gripping his head and cautiously took another glance up at Celine's angry form. She no longer held the pipe above his head but now in front of her. She was just kind of looking at it with a look of sorrow on her face. Glancing at Pippin she held out his pipe for him to take. The hobbit cautiously took the pipe and moved to put it in his bag.

"That is how you came upon our clearing." Legolas spoke while looking at Celine. "You wished to return something of ours that we had forgotten."

Celine shrugged her shoulders. "A lot of good that did. I planned on just handing it to you and walking away. Now look what happened." Pippin glanced down at himself and Celine saw that he was beginning to feel remorseful even though she knew it really wasn't his fault. It is always easier to blame someone else for his or her own misery. Lifting her hand to his head she ruffled his curly locks, to which Pippin slightly cringed due to his tender head. "I don't truly blame you Pippin, I blame myself. I should have announced my presence or something. I don't know."

"Nevertheless, I wish to apologize my lady." Pippin said.

"Celine, call me Celine." The woman turned and gave Pippin a lopsided smile. "You really should thank Puggles, she was the one-." Stopping mid-sentence her eyes widened and her lips parted. "Puggles! Oh no, oh no!" She cried out loudly burying her face into her hands. Celine had not even given a thought to Puggles and how she was locked up in her home. Her poor pug was all alone waiting for her to come back. What if she got hungry? Thirsty? Had to peepee?

"What is the problem Celine?" Merry leaned around Pippin to look at the now hysterical woman.

"My baby is back home locked up in my house! She's all alone!" Celine said with her face still covered and she didn't even bother to try to not cry. Her form shook slightly and the Fellowship did not immediately know what to do or say. Aragorn put his hand on her back and rubbed soothing circles in an attempt of comfort.

"She's all alone." Celine whimpered. Removing her hands from her face from her hands she hastily wiped her tears away, but they were soon replaced with new ones. "She needs me and now I'm stuck in this realm! Screw this bullshit!" She furiously wiped away more tears while gritting her teeth.

"I do not doubt your return to your realm." Gandalf said watching her lift her head up to look at him. "It is but a mere matter of time."

"I don't have time though! Puggles will be hungry tonight, tomorrow, and the day after that!" Celine tried not to imagine her little pug going hungry. "My parents won't be home for a couple of days! She won't live that long!"

Legolas watched as the young mortal woman was in hysterics. She had gone through a flurry or emotions within just a few hours that he didn't know how to keep up. Usually the woman was composed or angered, so seeing these different emotions threw him off. He couldn't believe Celine would be fretting about her small pet when their very lives were at stake every moment of each day. Her priorities needed to be rearranged into a more logical manner. But a part of him understood her pain for all elves considered life precious. Those that are wild and those that are tamed.

"I would worry not my lady." Legolas finally spoke. "For your dog will not go hungry."

Celine growled and wiped her face again. "I'm not oblivious, I know my dog is fat but she won't survive on her fat alone!"

"Nay that is not what I meant." Legolas continued ignoring the woman's comment. "I have seen your dog during the night in the kitchen. She opens the cabinet under the water sprout and drags out her food. She partakes in her food greedily each night and that is what I assumed made your dog larger than it should be."

Celine stared at the elf in silence and then thought about what he had said. She didn't really over feed Puggles, just slipped in some human food here and there. But she assumed because of the human food her dog got so fat. But that sneaky little creature had been chomping down in the late hours of the night.

"You've got to joking." Celine groaned and put her hand to her forehead.

"Nay my lady, I do not jest." Legolas shook his head and was not surprised to suddenly see the woman switch from hysterics to a calmer mood.

Celine sniffed. "Well…. I'm not completely happy with this turn events because I just found out that my dog has been sneaking behind my back…but I am happy to hear she did. At least she won't starve."

"Let that put your mind at ease then." Aragorn said. "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow, let us rest. I will take first watch, then Boromir, and then Legolas will follow." After the Fellowship agreed on Aragorn's decision, everyone who was not on watch reclined back to sleep.

Celine watched, as the hobbits wasted no time leaning onto their backs and tried to get comfortable for the night. She was more hesitant to do so for one, she had never in her life slept outside, which she realized made her sound like a stuck up princess. But to be fair, she was sure majority of North America was in the same boat.

"Rest, for dawn will approach quicker than you think." Boromir said to her. Celine nodded stiffly and slowly leaned back. Unfortunately this cove that they were resting in wasn't the largest so there was little to no personal space. Logically thinking about this it was probably a good thing because everyone was sharing body heat.

Though Celine would rather freeze then be pressed up this closely to a hobbit.

What would her mother think with her sleeping beside nine men?

She bit her lip to keep a giggle from escaping past her lips. Bending her elbow into a makeshift pillow, Celine placed her head atop to have some sort of cushion. It honestly didn't help that much.

Screw camping.

Trying to will herself to sleep, she just couldn't. For starters, the process of falling asleep took 1-2 hours usually. Unless under some certain circumstance she was severely deprived of sleep. Also the fact that her mind was going a million miles per hour, still trying to grasp some sort of understanding about her predicament, was not exactly helping. AND, she was sleeping on rock. Not the most comfortable thing in the world.

Hours trickled by, or at least that's what it felt like, and Celine's eyes were still wide open. She honestly didn't think she would find any sleep tonight. Unfortunately, she was partly right.

Suddenly a loud howl echoed through the night and several members of the Fellowship immediately sat up. They sat up alert and Gandalf stood on his feet. "Legolas, what do your elven eyes see?"

Legolas soon stood and made his way towards the front and peered out into the open land. There was a pregnant pause before Legolas hissed; "Wolves!" Hastily the remaining Fellowship scrambled to their feet. Celine didn't understand what the big deal was, who cares about a bunch of mangy mutts? Unless of course they were occupying their home but this place didn't look inhabited.

And she definitely didn't remember this part in the movie.

Standing up beside the hobbits she turned to Gandalf as he began giving instructions. "We shall descend down the mountain further. Let us hope we can out run them, come!" Gandalf urged the company out of the cove and they were all soon scrambling down the slope.

Celine loathed running as much as her pug did, but at the sound of Gandalf's frantic voice, she would run as fast as Usain Bolt if need be. Scrambling over her feet she ran as fast as she could and prayed that she would not face-plant at the worst moment. It was so dark outside though and the only source of light seemed to emit from Gandalf's staff.

Another howl alerted the Fellowship that they would not be able to out run the wolves. They had managed to run into a lightly wooded area, hoping to lose the pursers in some way. Slowing to a stop, Gandalf turned to face the Fellowship and Celine who were slowly trickling towards him. "We must stand and fight! Stick together as a group! Watch each others backs!" The wizard commanded. "Celine, do not stray from Legolas' side, hobbits, stay close to me!"

Celine was panting and gripping her side in attempt to remove her aching stitch. She looked up at Legolas who did even seem slightly winded. "Whelp, not that I don't trust your skills. But I think I pretty much dead." The whole idea should have freaked her out more, but she was just too tired to have a panic attack. Celine had no skills in fighting what so ever. She could fight in a verbal battle and come out victorious, but she doubted she could slay a wolf with the words "fuck you."

"Do not give up hope." The elf said but did not glance at her as he continued to look out beyond the trees.

"I'm not giving up hope if I had none to begin with."

Legolas ignored her and instead drew a dagger from his side and handed it to Celine. The dagger was probably no bigger than her forearm to be honest it was incredibly light. "Do you know how you use a sword?"

Some say that there is no such thing as a stupid question, but that was a pretty stupid question.

Pausing to let her eyes roam the weapon, she looked back up at Legolas. "Stick 'em with the pointy end." Kudos to Arya for her brilliant instructions on sword fighting. Honestly Celine had never even held a sword before; the only thing remotely close to this that she has touched was a light saber from ToysRUs.

Legolas said nothing at first, but then sighed slightly. "I hope you will have no need for it then, but it is always better to be prepared." With that he turned back around and nocked his bow with an arrow so quickly she would have missed it if she blinked.

"They come!" Aragorn suddenly yelled and Legolas let lose an arrow. Celine still couldn't see the wolves but she heard the whine of one, so she assumed Legolas had hit his mark. He quickly notched arrow after arrow, letting them fly towards their targets.

Wolves began to descend the slope and Celine finally got a good look at them. They were much larger than any wolf she had ever seen. Their canines were long and sharp and their fur was fluffed up to make them look more menacing. They were close enough to the company that Aragorn and Boromir could thrust their swords into its flank.

"Those are what you consider wolves?!" Celine screeched watching as Gimli felled another wolf. "That is not a wolf! That's like the size of a werewolf!" Though nobody paid her any attention, not that she blamed them, for they were all too busy with their own fights.

Even the hobbits were holding their own against the wolves. They were so small though and stood in a circle near Gandalf with their swords raised high is case the need arise for them to defend themselves. A large wolf came too close to them and Sam was the first to step forward and swing his sword. The other hobbits followed soon after and to be honest, Celine was pretty impressed. She thought the hobbits were next to useless but she was obviously proved wrong.

Legolas was behind her but he always managed to sneak a few glances at Celine to make sure she was always in his sights. She had a loose grip on the sword and it could easily be struck out of her hand with even the slightest of pressure. He noticed that she was not in any battle stance and could be easily knocked off her balance. She obviously had never engaged in battle, or had seen one due to the paleness of her face. His keen elven ears heard the sound of wolves charging towards him and he soon turned his full attention back to the wolves.

Celine didn't realize how lose of a grip she had on her sword because she never held one before. Her eyes darted back and forth among the company's members and saw each and every one of them holding their own.

"Frodo!" Celine heard Sam cry out the ring bearers name and she saw that the young hobbit had stumbled and had fallen on to his back. A wolf was padding closer and closer to him with its razor sharp teeth bared and ready to rip out the hobbits throat. Frodo scrambled backwards in an attempt to place distance between the wolf and himself.

There was no way that Frodo could survive the wolf attacking him at such a distance, even Celine knew that. She looked down at the small sword in her hand and then back at the wolf. This part was definitely not in the movie, so she didn't know if the wolf was supposed to attack Frodo or not. Or maybe Aragorn some how made his way in his direction and killed the wolf before it ate Frodo. She honestly had no idea, so she did something stupid. Celine didn't remember too much of her physics lessons in high school, but she would just hope the pointy end would hit its mark.

Celine drew back her arm by her head, it the similar fashion she had done when she was attempting to gut Aragorn in her kitchen, and took aim at the wolf. She didn't hit Aragorn but this wolf was so big that she would be severely embarrassed if the sword missed its mark. Only one way to find out.

Aiming for the head, Celine through the sword with all her might and watched it fly towards the wolf. Celine did not have the best hand-eye coordination, so the sword did not in fact hit the wolf's head. It ended up submerging itself in its side. But the wolf howled and whipped its head around and growled in Celine's direction. Frodo used the wolf's distraction to grab his sword nearby and stab it into the neck of the creature.

The wolves that had not been killed yet backed up slightly at the sight of Gandalf's staff. Gandalf muttered a spell and raised his staff to a neighboring tree. The wizard was in luck because the trees were dry and caught fire quickly. Celine watched as a circle of trees around them shared the flames amongst each other. The wolves howled loudly and snapped their jaws in their direction but would not dare to jump through the flames. They knew that they would not be nearing the company anytime soon. So which one last snap in their direction, the remaining wolves turned and fled back up the slope.

The Fellowship watched the wolves retreat before they began to make there way towards each other. The flames were slowly beginning to die down and thankfully the area wasn't too smoky. Frodo had managed to pry Legolas' sword from the stomach of the beast and held it out Celine to take. She slightly cringed at the sight of blood and fur that was all over the blade. She took the sword by its hilt and tried to avoid touching the guck.

"I owe you my life Celine." Frodo said nodding his thanks. "If you had not hit the beast I do not doubt that I would be standing here. I thank you."

"To be honest, it was sheer luck that I hit it." Celine looked down at the hobbit. "Be thankful that it is so large." She left out the part where she was actually aiming for its head.

"Nevertheless," Gandalf stepped forward and smiled at Celine. "you have saved the ring bearers life. But perhaps next time you warn one of us instead of throwing away your only weapon."

There had better not be a next time old man.

Celine shrugged her shoulders not really knowing what to say. In the long run, yeah throwing away your only weapon is pretty stupid. But she didn't manage to think that far ahead. In fact, she hadn't really thought at all.

"Perchance it is best that you hold onto that sword." The elf said as he watched the woman hold the sword away from her form like it was some sort of plague. "I hope that in the future you shall not have a use for it, but I desire you to hold something that will gives you a means to defend yourself."

Celine raised an eyebrow. "I think that is a terrible idea."

"Nay Legolas is right." The ranger stepped forward towards the elf. "You would be defenseless without it and we will not always be around."

Celine begged to differ because she would stick to them like glue if that were what it took in order to survive this story.

"I will most likely kill myself with it before I even attempted to engage in battle." Celine tried to dissuade their idea but the lot would not budge.

"You shall begin your training with the hobbits but not on this night." Gandalf said as he began to move further down the slope. "Tonight we shall find shelter and rest for the remaining hours of the night."

The Fellowship began to move after him but Legolas stopped her before she follow. "I will give you the sheath as well." Celine didn't want to keep his sword but she watched as he swiftly undid his belt with the swords case attached. Thankfully the belt he was giving her was not one he was currently using. He had a thicker belt around his waist that had more of a function than the one he was giving her.

Legolas took the sword from Celine's hand and bent down to the ground and wiped the blade so that it was cleaner. It wasn't perfectly clean, but at least she didn't feel like puking when she looked at it. Legolas stood back up and gestured towards her waist. "If I may?"

Celine shrugged her shoulders and moved aside her jacket so he could fit the belt around her waist. His face was impassive as he looped the leather through the buckle but as he tightened it, the holes stopped at a point that was too loose for her. Noticing this Celine began to explain that it was fine and it was snug enough that it wouldn't fall off when she walked. Legolas ignored her and forcefully created another hole so that it was much tighter.

All right then.

Legolas straightened himself back up and nodded to the young woman. "Come, they have gotten far ahead of us. Let us be on our way." He began to move forward and Celine sighed as she watched the Fellowship walked farther and farther away. She urged to move her sore feet and trailed after Legolas.

"Welcome to Middle Earth Celine." She whispered to herself.

* * *

A/N Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know some parts may seem a little confusing, but it will all make sense within the coming chapters!

Some parts were iffy but I think they got better as the chapter went on! Let me know if the Legolas/Celine interaction seems at all forced or awkward. I want this romance to build upon the little things, not just immediately happening overnight. Because we all know that is definitely not how things work. Please review and let me know what you think!

For those of you who may not understand what an "Arya Moment" is, that's completely fine. I used it more of as a visual for those who maybe understand the reference. For those who don't, Arya is a character from "Game of Thrones." Long story short, she and he companion trekked all across the land to go to her aunt. Ironically, said aunt ends up dying just days before they arrive.

To find the example I am referencing, got to Youtube and type in "Game of Thrones Arya's laugh" It'll be one of the first links.

You'll be able to obviously tell who Arya is, as she is the one laughing so much.

Until next time!


	10. Mines of Moria

A/N Another chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorite/followed this story! I have read all your suggestions and concerns and so I will definitely cut down on the swearing! Your feedback is appreciated so I hope this chapter is to your liking!

Evangeline Pond: Well I am very happy you tried this story out and I have definitely cut back on the swearing :D Let me know what you think!

autistic cupcake: I'm glad you love it! Hope you like this chapter too!

LovelyBoA: Haha I'm delighted that you find my story so funny XD

Guest: Wow, thank you so much for the lengthy review! I really appreciate it! I'm really happy to hear that you not only enjoy the plot of my story, but also Celine as a character. Many authors, including myself, really worry about having a character that people will soon begin to dislike. I will try my hardest to keep Celine just like she is now. I will definitely try to implement more cultural differences because that's one thing that Celine is going to have a really hard time adjusting to. The romance will definitely start to build up, but nothing too intense yet Keep your eyes peeled!

landikriel: I'm glad you like my story! Don't worry about the swearing, I will cut back on that throughout the story. I appreciate you letting me know you opinion on it Please continue to read!

That Other Coin: Finally in Middle Earth! Haha, no I'm sorry, no Boromir pairing. But I'm definitely going to try to bring in more dialogue for Boromir because I feel like I've been neglecting him! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Finally things are going to begin to pick up! We have come to the Mines of Moria and I hope you all enjoy this chapter! It might seem a little confusing and repetitive at first, but everything will clear up in time! Also, one little fact I should clear up about Celine and this fanfic. Celine has the basic idea of Tolkien's story; she's got major characters names and the plot down. But she won't remember the nit picky details, as you will see coming up. I feel like if I made Celine remember every single major event, it wouldn't really add much to her character. She wouldn't react in a realistic way. Another thing, I know the last chapter I incorporated a scene from the book, but let me make clear that I will mostly follow the movie. (Because embarrassingly enough I haven't read the books.)

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

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Chapter 10

The voice was dark and sinister, whispering the same words over and over again. Celine couldn't see anything around her; it was so dark that she could barely make out the structure of trees surrounding her. She was barefoot again and she felt the dampness of the ground and the dirt between her toes.

"_**Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,**__**ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul."**_

Celine felt a tug in the back of her brain, as if she had heard these words before. She could not understand the dark language, but the words sounded so familiar.

"_**Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,**__**ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul."**_

Her body shuddered, as the words seemed to caress her skin. These words were dark and made her want to curl in on herself.

"_**Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,**__**ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.**_**"**

A tickling in her mind caused words to tumble from her lips as she unknowingly spoke. "_One Ring to rule them all,"_

"_**Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,**__**ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.**_**"**

"_One Ring to find them,"_

"_**Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,**__**ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.**_**"**

"_One Ring to bring them all,"_

"_**Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,**__**ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.**_**"**

"_and in the darkness bind them." _She whispered and as soon as she finished her sentence, the voice stopped. Only the wind moving the trees limbs could be heard. Celine was alone and she shivered slightly as the wind brushed against her skin. Bringing one foot forward, and then another, she made her way slowly through the trees. She felt relieved that she wasn't at the dark gate anymore, but the foreboding forest surrounding her did little to calm her nerves.

A familiar screech pierced the air and Celine whipped her head around. Her stomach flipped flopped as she heard the sound of feet trampling the earth in front of her. She felt cemented to her spot and jumped as suddenly four small, familiar creatures burst into the clearing. They were panting and looked pale in the streaks of moonlight that illuminated their faces.

Celine realized that the four hobbits were Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Relaxing slightly, she took a step towards them. "You four scared me!" She cried out clutched her chest slightly to calm her beating heart. "What in the world is going on? Where are-?" Her voice was cut off as another shrill screech cut through the air. Soon a black-cloaked figure and its horse crashed towards them from behind a tree.

"There's another one! Frodo, this way!" Merry shouted and seemed to completely ignore Celine's questions. They bolted in her direction and Celine reeled back, trying to get out of the way before she was smashed into the hobbits. But she was too slow and Celine watched in horror as four hobbits came rushing at her. Bracing herself for impact, Celine gasped as and icy chill went through her body.

The hobbits had run right through her.

She turned around slowly and watched as they scurried through the trees. What had just happened? Why did they just run right through her? A sound of a sword being unsheathed brought Celine's attention back to the black rider. The figure drew out a long and shimmering sword and seemed to be looking directly at her. Taking a step back from the rider, it reared its horse up and that was all the encouragement Celine need to start running.

Her legs were longer than the hobbits, so she tried her best to catch up with them. "Frodo, follow me!" Merry shouted again. Hearing his voice in the distance, Celine made a sharp right towards the direction she assumed the hobbits were in. Lungs burning, a cold sweat beginning to form on her brow, Celine urged her feet to run faster as the black rider's hooves came closer and closer to her figure.

Crashing through the trees and ignoring the stinging sensation on her feet, she saw a clearing and ran towards it. She saw Frodo just ahead of her; he took a glance back and looked horrified as the black rider galloped closer and closer to him.

"Frodo!" Sam screamed as he had just released the boat from the dock and he and the other two hobbits began to drift away. Celine ran after Frodo and saw as they neared the dock, Sam was shouting for him to jump. Frodo wasted no time as he all but threw himself into Sam's arms.

Coming up to the edge on the dock Celine knew she wouldn't make the jump. But she would rather attempt to swim across shore than be impaled with the rider's sword. Her feet barely managed to leave the dock before the scene in front of her began to disappear in front of her. Like smoke that was rising and fading from view.

Celine's mind flashed back to the dream she had and she furrowed her brow. Frodo and the hobbits were running from the Nazgul…but that happened at the beginning of the first movie. They were already past that…honestly dreams about the past was about as useful as a dirty sock. She would rather learn something beneficial, like how to go home.

The Fellowship, plus one, had set out early that morning to continue their descent. The slope began to even out a bit and soon they were all walking on semi-flat land. Gandalf led the way and all Celine hoped was that they would not make a wrong turn on the way to the mines. The group proceeded to come closer to a tall rock structure and a lake was off to the right. Celine peered out into the waters of the lake and grimaced. It looked like it was polluted with something; it was not appealing to look at what so ever.

"The walls of Moria!" Gimli cried out in pride as he gestured with his short arm to the wall. Celine allowed her eyes to roam the supposed "door to Moria." But she didn't really see anything that stuck out. "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli raised his ax to tap the stone structure. Ah, that's why.

Gandalf nodded and moved to stand next to the dwarf. "Yes Gimli! Their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten!"

That seems like a problem.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" The elf said somewhat quietly but everyone heard him anyway. The dwarf growled under his breath and the elf's jab but made no attempt to rebuke it.

Gandalf, being one of the only mature ones in the Fellowship, ignored the two all together and brushed his staff against the stone. As his staff moved away some of the dirt and vines that climbed the wall, faint lines that swirled into designs could be seen. "Itidin...it mirrors only starlight and moonlight."

No sooner than the words left his mouth the moon's shine began to shimmer through the clouds and strike the stone structure. Celine was tremendously impressed as beautiful, pale, blue and white lines began to spread across the door in a more visible pattern. Celine was not the only one gawking as she saw several of the hobbit's jaws drop.

"It reads, 'The door of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter." Gandalf spoke tapping his staff across the door pointing out every single word to them as if he was teaching a child.

Celine rolled her eyes because these supposed "words" weren't even using the alphabet. It looks like some was trying to figure out how to draw the tic-tac toe board. And failed miserably.

Merry voiced his lack of understanding. "What do you suppose that means?"

The wizard turned to the hobbit and gave the hobbit a very confident answer. "It's quite simple. If you are a friend, speak the password and the doors will open." Turning back to the door in front of him, Celine and the Fellowship watched as Gandalf pressed the tip of his staff to the center of the door. "_Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen_!"

Celine felt that similar tickling in her brain as she watched Gandalf proceed to utter words that she didn't understand. Expecting the door to open, the Fellowship stood at the ready to enter the mines. Only one, tiny, tiny problem.

The doors didn't open.

It looked like she and the Fellowship weren't the only ones confused at the predicament as Gandalf stepped back a moment and gazed up at the doors, fully expecting them to open. Trying again the wizard said more strange words, but this time not pressing his staff against the stone.

"Nothing's happening." Pippin looked up at Legolas as he pointed out the obvious. Legolas made no reply but instead continued to watch Gandalf.

Gandalf tried another slew of unknown words and Celine watched, as the old man grew more and more frustrated. "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of elves, men and orcs."

Pippin, feeling the need to open his mouth again, asked a seemingly innocent question. "What're you going to do then?"

"Knock your head against these doors Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them and I'm allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words!" Gandalf snapped at the small hobbit who looked embarrassed and slightly hurt. Celine cringed as she listened to Gandalf scold Pippin; she put a reassuring hand on the hobbit's shoulder.

As Gandalf continued to try to get the doors to open, he waved the Fellowship away so he could proceed with distractions. Aragorn led Sam away to speak to him while Merry and Pippin went towards the lake. They kicked around a few stones with their feet, most likely extremely bored at the standstill in their journey.

Celine meanwhile moved to sit on a large, low, and uneven rock. Jumping back off again she stripped herself of her coat and bundled it into a ball before placing it back on the rock to sit on. Her butt was lacking cushion. Where she sat wasn't too far from where Gandalf was trying to open the door and it gave a great vantage point of the whole scene.

Something was going to happen, she knew something was going to happen. Rubbing her hands over her face she tried to shake the feeling of unease. While she was contemplating the storyline in her head, she missed seeing Boromir move to sit next to her and Gimli move to stand beside the rock.

Turning to look at the young woman by his side, he spoke. "By chance do you know the words to open the doors of Moria?" He asked, as he felt ill near this lake. This land they sat upon was too open and lacked any means of defense.

"Do I look like I speak dwarfish?" Celine rolled her eyes at Boromir's question.

Gimli moved to stand in front the seated woman and knocked on her leg with the handle of his ax in annoyance. "It is the language of Khuzdul."

"Bless you." Celine pushed his ax away from her form. She did not need to lose a limb because Gimli felt the need to be an English—excuse me—Cuz-ed-drool teacher. "I can only speak two languages, mine and English."

"And what is 'your' language my lady?" Boromir asked and Celine turned to look at him. How many times has she asked them to call her by her name? All right, she'll give them a little leniency because their upbringing probably centered on calling all women "my lady."

Celine grinned. "Well, I've been speaking it this entire time we have known each other!" The man and dwarf shared a confused look. "My language is quite simple, it consists of shit, bullshit, asshole, bit-." But she got no further as Boromir moved a hand up and covered her mouth as quickly as he could.

"Indeed we have heard 'your' language." Boromir withdrew his hand and rubbed his forehead in a frustrated manner. All while Celine was grinning and attempting not to laugh at the man's discomfort.

"Aye, your language wounds the ears." Gimli grunted. "Perhaps you were cracked on your head as a child." While this was meant to insult Celine, she froze as she heard Gimli's words. Noticing the young woman suddenly tense, Boromir watched her in concern.

Gimli said "cracked on."

But because of his accent it sounded like "Cracked in."

Which made her think "Kraken."

Do you see where I'm heading with this?

"Kraken!" She squawked hers eyes widening as she was assaulted with fuzzy memories. Faint memories were filling her brain as she remembered how the Fellowship got into the mines. A scene of splashing waters and Aragorn drawing his sword with a war cry and a scream that erupted from a hobbits mouth. Bones were scattered across the ground, but then her flashback ended. The Fellowship would make it into the mines, only due to the flailing limbs of the Kraken.

"I know not what you speak of." Boromir said gently as he was trying to calm the now frazzled woman.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Celine brushed the stray hairs for the umpteenth time out of her face. "Kraken! Kraken!" She gestured wildly with her hands as she tried to make them understand. They were from Middle Earth; didn't they get basic lessons in what inhabited their lands? Or more like waters?

"Aye we heard that lassie." Gimli grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Repeat the word once again and perhaps understanding shall dawn upon us."

Tempted to give Gimli a rude gesture, she withheld herself due to the fact that she did not want to be out here when Davy Jones, aka Gandalf, managed to open the mine and therefore unleashing the beast within the waters. Was this sort of creature unknown to the inhabitants of Middle Earth? Was there another name for it? Damn, she should have read those books.

Turning in circles, Celine was attempting to find something to help her companions understand. "A stick, I need a stick." Her eyes were glued to the ground and walked a distance away, near the lining of the trees, and grabbed a long but sturdy piece of wood.

"Now what are ye doing lassie?" Gimli asked as he saw Celine rush back over to them with a stick in her hand.

"There is a Kraken in the water!" Celine pointed to the water with her stick. She bit her lip nervously as she stole a glance towards the water.

"And that be what?" The dwarf gruffed. "A fish ye scared of?"

"Hell yeah!" She shot back. "Trust me, you will be scared too." Celine then bent her legs towards the ground and began drawing the "Kraken" in the dirt. The man and dwarf watched as Celine sketched, erased, and sketched again, some sort of creature into the ground. Once she was done, she stood up again and pointed to it. "Kraken, refresh your memory at all?" It was a crude drawing; to the two men it looked nothing more than several squiggles in the ground.

All while this was going on, Aragorn and Sam had released their pony into the wild. Aragorn knew that the mines would not be a suitable place for a pony due to the uneven ground and unlit corridors. Bill would only struggle through the mines and it was not fair to do that to the horse.

Moving back towards the company with Sam, he saw Celine, Gimli, and Boromir gesturing wildly with their hands. Celine seemed frazzled and tried to explain something to the two companions, who wore confused expressions. Passing Merry and Pippin, he noticed they were tossing stones into the water. Grabbing Pippin's arm before he could launch another one, he bent low and spoke lowly, "Do not disturb the water." Something about the lake that lay in front of them gave him an uneasy feeling, though it seemed like he was no the only one who was watching the water carefully.

Walking away from the hobbits, he caught the perplexed exchange between Merry and Pippin and saw them put the stone in their hand back on the ground. He walked towards the water and looked out as it as he thought he saw something move.

Boromir, who had caught Aragorn's cease in movement, stood up from where he sat. The dwarf and young woman were too deep in their argument to notice him walk away. He made his way towards Aragorn and stood slightly behind him as he too saw something move in the waters.

"Celine," He started, almost whispering. "she has spoken of something called the 'Kraken." Aragorn turned around to look at Boromir with a puzzled look on his face.

"Kraken?" Aragorn had never heard of such a thing and the word felt foreign on his tongue.

"I know naught of what she says." Boromir took another glance out at the water as another ripple could be seen. "Only that she is frightened of such a thing and it lives within these murky waters." The two men spoke of it no further as they watched as the water seemed to move more.

"It's a riddle..." Frodo spoke quietly as he stood up and made his to the door. Gandalf looked up at the hobbit watching as he took a step closer to the door. "Speak, friend, and enter. What's the Elvish for friend?"

"Mellon." Gandalf spoke articulating every word. The Fellowships head snapped toward the wizard and hobbit as they heard a crack of rock as the doors opened. Celine and Gimli ceased their argument and saw the doors open.

The doors were large and thick as Celine stepped closer to them. Gimli had already gone a bit ahead of her, as he was excited to see his kin once again. A knot formed in her stomach and her mind flashed back to what she remembered. She didn't realize she had stopped making her way towards the open doors until she felt a tall presence next to her.

"We must continue." Legolas spoke as he stepped next to the unmoving woman. He saw fear in her eyes but he had assumed she was fearful of this "Kraken" she spoke of. Though he was not near her as she explained this creature to Gimli and Boromir, he could hear her in the distance.

Celine nodded stiffly and Legolas moved to let her walk in front of him. Like Aragorn and Boromir, he knew something was moving in the water. She walked behind Gimli and the dwarf began to explain to the elf, with immense pride, the traditions and culture of his kin.

"Soon, master elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves; roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone." Gimli looked up at the uneasy elf as he spoke. "This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin...and they call this a mine...a mine!" The dwarf looked amused while he spoke, as if such a claim was ridiculous.

Gandalf led the group into the mine as Gimli spoke and the group had little light to see where they were walking. Celine grew more and more nervous as she felt an uneven surface beneath her feet. It wasn't as if the ground were not level, it felt like some sort of objects were thrown around the room.

The wizard blew slightly on the tip of his staff and soon a faint light filled the mine. As Celine let her eyes sweep across the area, her hand flew to her mouth as she saw what she was stepping on.

"This is no mine...it's a tomb!" Boromir spoke quietly but with a hint of urgency in his tone. There were bones scattered all over the surrounding area, some were attached to an entire skeleton, as others were just scattered limbs. Some skeletons had arrows protruding from all over their body, Celine managed to see an arrow that went through the deceased's eye socket. Just the view was horrifying enough for her but the smell of decaying flesh made the whole experience that much worse.

Gimli moved away from the group and knelt down by one of his fallen kin. He let out an agonizing cry as he realized that Boromir had spoken truthfully. So many lay slaughtered around them and the hobbits began to move back slightly feeling extremely uncomfortable with stepping all over dwarves' bones.

Legolas quickly moved passed her and knelt down by a dwarf's carcass. He wrenched an arrow out of the body and gazed steadily at its tip. He did not need inspect the arrow for too long because he knew of only one creature that used these sorts of arrows. "Goblins!" The elf hissed out and threw down the arrow before stepping back towards the Fellowship.

Legolas swiftly drew an arrow as Boromir and Aragorn unsheathed their swords. Though the bodies had obviously been decaying for quite a period of time, the goblins had undoubtedly not moved on from the mines. Goblins were creatures that would kill without a second though, if they had wished to enter and remain in the mines, they would slaughter those that currently inhabited it.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here." Boromir knew that they could not stay in the mines, for there would be hundreds, if not thousands, of goblins within the tunnels of Moria. "Now get out of here!" Boromir raised his voice to usher the company out. "Get out!"

Celine took a step towards the hobbits and turned to leave but she knew something was going to happen. Frodo's scream echoed in her mind and she began to lunge towards the hobbit unexpectedly, attempting to grab him and drag him further into the mine. But she did not get the chance to even touch him as he suddenly fell and began to be dragged backwards.

The other three hobbits shouted Frodo's name as they were startled by his sudden disappearance. They rushed over to him and while Merry and Pippin grabbed onto Frodo's arm, Sam called for Aragorn before turning back to Frodo. Unsheathing his sword the gardener hacked away at the slimy limb that had curled around Frodo's leg. As the hobbits began to drag Frodo back, more tentacles shot out of the water and batted them away like flies and grabbed Frodo once again.

At Frodo's scream the rest of the Fellowship rushed to the entrance with their weapons drawn. Celine stayed back as she knew she not contribute in any way and even if she could, she was too scared to move her limbs. Seeing this creature on a TV monitor was one thing, but hearing the roar and witnessing it in person was completely different.

She watched as Legolas let loose an arrow and hit the creature's arm that dangled Frodo in the air. Despite puncturing the slimy skin, the creature did not even loosen its grip. Boromir and Aragorn rushed into the water without hesitation and began hacking away at the creature's limbs. Frodo screamed Strider's name and this only caused the two men to work in more of a frenzy to rescue Frodo.

Celine took a few steps towards the entrance and stood nearby Gandalf and Gimli who despite the fact that they did not rush into the water, they were armed and ready to attack if given the chance. The young woman watched as a large, deformed head rise from the center of the lake. Her jaw dropped at the horrendous face of the creature. It looked nothing like the Kraken from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. It looked far more menacing and seemed like something that belonged in a horror movie.

Boromir and Aragorn eventually made their way towards the limb that suspended Frodo in the air and with a mighty shout, Aragorn sliced right through it. Frodo yelled as he plummeted towards the water, though Boromir was ready and easily caught the small hobbit.

Seeing that the ring bearer was now in the arms of a companion, Gandalf urged them to move back. "Into the mines!" The wizard shouted and turned round to enter back into the tomb. Celine wasted no time following and neither did the rest of the Fellowship.

The creature did not cease its attack as the Fellowship retreated, instead it raised its head further from the water and moved to attack its nearest target: Aragorn. With his keen elven sight Legolas let loose another arrow and embedded it into the creatures eye. With a howl the creature reeled back slightly but then angered at those who hacked its limbs and shot its eye, it climbed towards the mine's entrance. The creature could only see out of one eye so as its limbs shot out to attempt to grab one of them, it only managed to crumble the rock structure.

Celine moved faster as she heard the loud noise of great boulders falling to the ground. The whole Fellowship had made it far enough into the mines that they stumbled back and watched as the only entrance and exit they knew of, crumbled to the ground. The little light that they had from the moon was now gone and they were all shrouded in darkness.

All was quiet and Celine dared not to move even one step further as she couldn't see a thing. She had no idea where the rest of the Fellowship stood but soon heard the tapping of Gandalf's staff on the rocky floor. "We now have but one choice," The wizard spoke as his little light lit a small portion of where they stood. "we must face the long dark road of Moria. Be on your guard...there are older and fouler things than the orcs in the deep places of the world."

Gandalf began to move ahead of the company and passed her as he spoke. She paled at the thought of anything worse than orcs. Though she had yet to see any in person, she trusted Gandalf's word. As the wizard began to move further into the mine, Legolas, Celine, Gimli, the hobbits, Aragorn, and Boromir followed.

"Was that ye 'Kraken' ye spoke of?" The dwarf asked the young woman ahead of him as he recalled the conversation he had with her outside the mine.

"Kraken?" Gandalf stopped walked and turned slightly over his shoulder to look at Celine. "What is it you speak of?"

Celine opened her mouth to reply but Boromir beat her to it. "Celine spoke of a creature within the lake. It is now that I had wished to listen to her aid sooner, then perhaps we would not be in our current situation."

Gandalf narrowed his eyes while still looking at Celine. "Nay Boromir, it is good that you did not heed the young lady's words." The Fellowship all gave the wizard a confused expression. "I will repeat what I have said before, though I will direct it more to you my dear. We shall not play with the fate that the Valar has set before us, for it is a dangerous game to play. It is by the Valar's wisdom that we shall make our way through the mines. Celine, you shall speak no more of what you know. No matter what may happen in the future." Gandalf's voice seemed grimmer as he finished his sentence, as if he knew a terrible fate was soon to come.

Celine must have given Gandalf a look like she wanted to rebuttal his claim, but one look into Gandalf's eyes made her shut down any such thought. She almost wanted to voice that she couldn't remember every detail and that the story played only seemed to play like a movie in her eyes while she was asleep. But she kept her mouth shut because she doubted the wizard would really care at this point. He had more pressing matters to deal with than her self-induced "movie dreams" that she been having.

The Fellowship knew that the matter was no longer open to discussion, so they continued to move. "Quietly, now. It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence will go unnoticed." Gandalf spoke quietly as he began to walk again.

While walking down the slopes of Caradhras seemed like a quiet affair, it seemed that the Fellowship was even more reluctant to speak now. The few words that were spoken among the company were said in whispers. The light from Gandalf's staff did not extend to far so Celine especially had to make sure she was watching her step. The ground beneath her feet was in shambles at some points, like someone took a club and tried to play whack-a-mole on it. Celine presumed that the dwarfs had at least some sense to make decent paths so she assumed it was the goblins that destroyed them.

Celine hated to admit it but she had an extreme phobia of heights, this phobia probably outweighed even that of her arachnophobia. And that's saying something. Celine had never in her life wished she could have been the character "Flat Stanley" until now. Pressing herself against the rocky walls only helped so much, but being a 3 dimensional woman was not improving her situation.

At one point, the Fellowship saw themselves staring nearly straight up at a set of staircases. Celine was frozen in place and gawked, as Gandalf was the first to climb the steep stairs. Even the hobbits only hesitated momentarily before beginning their ascent. The dwarf and two men followed after, only after Celine encouraged them to go first, which left her and the elf to be last.

Not trusting her voice to speak, Celine gestured for the elf to go next. But Legolas just shook his head. "My lady I shall climb last. In case there be trouble behind us, I am better equipped than you are."

Celine didn't care if they were going to be attacked, she just didn't want to climb.

"I insist." Celine's voice cracked, embarrassingly enough.

"I shall be right behind you, fear not my lady." Legolas was an elf and could easily make out the worried features of the woman's face. She put on a strong façade, but it was slipping as each moment past.

"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Celine's voice quivered as she tried to force a laugh. "Because it doesn't. Not. One. Bit." Stealing one more glance up at the impending structure Celine shook her head. "You know what, I'm sure I'll find another way around. You go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"I doubt you would fare against the goblins should they find you." Legolas did not mean for the comment to sound so harsh but the young woman did not seem to comprehend the severity of their situation. Not to mention that being underneath the earth did little to aid Legolas' comfort. He was a woodland elf; the mines were no place for such a creature. True that his father's kingdom lay beneath the earth, but never was it so dark as this. His father's realm was within the forests of Mirkwood and a tree was but a hairs breath away. Here, Legolas felt that he would drown in such darkness and though he felt unnerved by this place, he would not show it. It would not help their situation and would probably put some of his companions on edge.

"I'll take my chances." The woman snapped and moved to step around the elf. She did not get very far and the elf grabbed her by the back of the neck of her sweater and ceased her movements. Damn the elf and his height, it wasn't fair that gravity favored her more than him. "It would make it easier to pass if you were not holding my sweater." Celine was shocked as the elf easily picked her up and placed her back in front of his being.

"I will not let you fall. Trust me. Did you not ask for Aragorn's trust? I ask that you accept mine." Legolas looked down at the short woman who frowned at him.

How was it that this elf always knew what was going on?! Even without her speaking of it! Celine pursed her lips and looked up once again and gulped. She took one step towards the stairs and put her hand on the first step before slowly edging her foot up the structure. She didn't suddenly start climbing because she expected that Legolas would catch her if she fell, no, she just knew that there would be no other way. Damn Middle Earth and chivalry! Celine would be more than happy to chance an encounter with a goblin! But no, everyone seemed to think she would be dead if she took one misstep.

Most likely she would be, but that's beside the point.

Celine did not lift her eyes from each step that she put her hand on. She was moving slowly and the elf made no comment to her sloth speed, which she was forever thankful for. What felt like hours was truly only a matter of minutes, Celine made it to the top of the steep staircase.

Standing up she brushed her hands on her jeans, getting rid of the rocky residue on her palms. Legolas soon stood next to her and the Fellowship was once again on their way.

"What took you so long?" Pippin asked falling in step with Celine as he noticed the woman was extremely pale when she climbed the steep steps. "Were you delayed by something?"

"Yes Pippin," Celine held her head high and refused to make eye contact with the curious hobbit. "we were delayed by my Acrophobia."

"What is that?"

"My fear of heights." Celine spoke even more quietly as she didn't want the whole Fellowship to hear.

Though Pippin just doesn't get the hint of really anything. Instead, he echoed her statement except much louder and in more of the form of a question. "Fear of heights? You are scared of heights my lady?"

Several members of the Fellowships heads turned to look at Celine. Said woman now whipped her head down to the hobbit's, "You soon will be too when I throw you off this cliff!" she hissed. Pippin's eyes widened and he soon scurried away from her and went to find his way back to the hobbits.

No one said anything, but instead turned back around to continue their journey. Celine had no idea how long they had been walking; there was no sun to give her the hint to the time of day. She just assumed they had been walking for quite some time because her feet were hurting more and more after each step. The blister that she assumed she had felt even worse as her boots rubbed against her heel.

While Celine desperately wanted to stop, her stomach plummeted once they did. Gandalf held his staff higher as he shone light around the room where they stood. His light revealed three tunnels, each looking like they continued on forever. The wizard glanced at each tunnel and looked defeated. "I have no memory of this place."

I'm sorry, what? No memory of this place? You have got to be joking.

The Fellowship could do nothing but sit down and wait for Gandalf to decide on which path to take. Even Gimli could offer no aid because it has been some time since he last walked the halls of Moria. Celine lowered herself slowly to the ground and leaned against the stonewall behind her. The rest of the group found themselves doing the same, some even taking out their pipe to smoke. What that hoped to accomplish, Celine had no clue.

"Are we lost?" Pippin asked while looking at Merry.

Merry tried to hush his cousin. "No. I don't think we are. Shhhh, Gandalf's thinking."

"Merry?"

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

If Celine had the energy to, she would have laughed. But she was not only physically exhausted, but also mentally. This mine had so many steep drops and intimidating staircases that Celine felt like vomiting due to her nausea. Celine wanted nothing more than to lean back and try to sleep, she was so on edge that she began to fidget every few moments.

"Lady Celine?" The young woman turned to look at the three hobbits whom settled themselves beside her all of a sudden. It was only Merry, Pippin, and Sam because Frodo had moved closer to Gandalf to engage in conversation. "Pardon us my lady, but perhaps you will lend us your opinion on our dispute." Merry said.

Sam threw him an annoyed look. "Don't go bothering the lady about your misgivings!"

Celine gave the three of them a confused look before urging them to continue. "Sam insists that my cousin and I indulge ourselves in Farmer Maggot's crops too often." Merry continued.

"You two don't indulge, you steal!" Sam interrupted.

"A petty detail one would think." Pippin shrugged his shoulders. "But milady, would it not seem unfair for a farmer to hoard all his crops for just himself? Should the farmer not share with his fellow hobbits?"

The three hobbits all turned to look at Celine wanting her to voice her opinion. Celine was more curious about what suddenly brought this subject on more than the actual question. Giving herself a moment to think, Celine shrugged her shoulders at the hobbits. "Well, this just being my honest opinion, I would not steal from any farmer. There are too many unfortunate tales that follow."

"Unfortunate tales? For what tales do you speak of?"

Celine raised an eyebrow; surely they have read fairy tales before? "Well like 'Rapunzel', 'Peter Cottontail', 'The Master Thief', er-."

The hobbits all exchanged a confused look.

"You've never heard of any of these stories?" Celine was shocked to say the least.

"Nay my lady," Sam spoke. "none of those tales have been told to us before."

"And we hobbits are known for our stories! Bilbo often told Frodo of his tales and Frodo would then tell us!" Pippin said while pointing over to Frodo who continued to speak with Gandalf.

Celine shook her head. "These are fairy tales. Not like, adventure tales."

"We have no fairies in Middle Earth." Merry said not understanding what she meant. "I thought you had spoken of no other inhabitants of your land other than mortals."

Celine groaned. "No, no, not like actual 'fairy' tales, just like….um…fun stories?" She didn't really know how else to explain it; she just assumed that Middle Earth would also have these little 'fun tales'. But apparently not.

"Perhaps you could indulge us my lady with one of your 'Fairy Tales'." Boromir said from across the way. He did not mean to eavesdrop on their conversation but his ears perked up when the young woman spoke of her land. Anything to distract the company from the somber mood would set them at ease.

The hobbit had grins plastered on their faces as they nodded vigorously. "Indeed my lady! We would love to hear a tale from your land!"

Celine suddenly felt like a second grade teacher.

Sighing slightly Celine nodded. "Alright, but disclaimer, I suck at telling stories." Not too far off, Aragorn was smoking his pipe with his elf friend next to him. He too was listening to the strange woman's tale. The elf that sat next to him was stiff and his eyes always seemed to dart around the cavern every few moments. Aragorn knew woodland elves seldom ventured beneath the earth lest they subject themselves to discomfort.

"Perhaps the lady's tale shall have your mind drift from your thoughts on this cave." Aragorn saw as he blew a bit of smoke out. "We know not how long we shall remain and I can see your unease, no matter your attempts to hide it.

"I fear nothing will lessen my stress as of now _mellon_." Legolas said taking a glance at the ranger. "I only wish to leave this mine and find refuge in the forest."

"It is only a mater of time." Aragorn said taking another whiff of his pipe. He turned his gaze back to the woman who was now attempting to start her tale. But the hobbits curiosity got the best of them and they interrupted with many questions.

"Um," Celine didn't really know how else to start the tale, so she gave it the usual introduction. "Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a husband and his wife."

"What time would this be?" One hobbit asked.

"Where is this land? Is it towards the south, near Rohan? The west towards the Shire?" Another one asked.

"I don't know!" Celine threw her arms up. I can't remember nit picky details! Who cares anyway?!"

Pippin looked skeptically at Celine. "We hobbits always prefer a setting for our tales. We like-."

"Alright, alright, we throw this in whatever land you want." Celine waved off their questions. She began again. "There once lived a husband and his wife, whom were both very poor. The woman was pregnant with a child and out her window; she saw the witch's garden. The witch grew a plant called 'Rapunzel' and due to the woman's pregnancy, she craved it."

"Rapunzel? What is a Rapunzel?" Merry asked.

Celine was coming to her last stroke of patience here. "It's a plant I guess. I don't know. Anyway-."

"Well how can you be sure if it's a plant if you have never seen one." Pippin nodded agreeing with his cousin while cutting off Celine before she could continue with the story.

"Fine!" Celine growled. "Potatoes! She grew potatoes! Happy now?!" The hobbits nodded their heads and urged her to continue. Sighing Celine decided to integrate the minor edit.

"Alright, the wife was starving and wanted a potato." Celine was going to regret this change in detail soon. "So she begged her husband to climb the wall of the witches garden and steal a potato that she could eat. He succeeded one night, but dared to go again the next. Scaling the wall he was greeted by the witch. The witch accused the husband of stealing and the husband begged the witch for mercy. He explained the reason why he stole the Ra-err-potato and that it was to feed his pregnant wife."

"The witch agreed to let the husband go, even with a sack of potatoes, but in return, he was to give her his new born child. Agreeing the husband went on his way back to his home with the potatoes." Celine was a little taken aback by the shocked expressions that flitted across their faces.

"The husband was so readily to agree to such a price?" Boromir whispered while shaking his head. "He should have accepted whatever punishment was bestowed upon him, for the price of a child is inequitable."

When Celine was told the story as a little girl, she didn't really give much thought to it. She was more interested in where the story was progressing; she didn't give herself much time to contemplate the parent's stupid decision.

But Celine continued with the story nonetheless. She explained how the parents freely gave their child to the witch and how the witch took the child and locked her in a tower with no doors or stairs. For some reason, the Fellowship did not comment on the fact that the witch named the little girl potato. Celine honestly wished she ignored the hobbits and stuck with Rapunzel. "There was only one way to get to the top." Celine explained to them the only method to climb the tower. "The witch would shout-." She paused slightly and tried not to laugh as she said the next line. "Potato, potato, let down your long hair, so that I may climb the golden stair."

Before Celine could continue with the story, Gandalf made a joyful exclamation. "Ah! It's that way!"

Merry quickly stood up and had a smile on his face. "He's remembered!"

Gandalf grinned and shook his head. "No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down there. If in doubt, Meridoc, always follow your nose!"

The rest of the Fellowship stood also looking relieved to finally be moving again. Celine groaned as she lifted her aching body up from her seated position. Her whole body was sore and she wanted nothing more than to soak herself in warm water.

Following the rest of the group down one of the tunnels, they all came upon a large clearing. Not much could immediately be seen, but from the little light that Gandalf emitted, Celine assumed that they had entered a much larger room.

"Let me risk a little more light." Gandalf said as he tapped his staff against the stone floor. A much larger light encased the tip of his staff and the Fellowship could now see the true depth of the room they had ventured into.

Celine's jaw dropped as she took in the sight around her. She had never seen such a place before. There were at least a hundred large columns scattered around the room with an interesting structure carved into them. The ceiling was incredibly high and she wondered how many years it had taken the dwarves to mine so high.

"Behold! The great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf!" The wizard spoke loudly as he made a grand gesture with his staff.

Sam was in awe of the structure around him as well. "Well, there's an eye opener and no mistake!"

The Fellowship and Celine moved further down the large room and allowed their eyes to roam the vast structure. It wasn't until Gandalf cried out Gimli's name that Celine realized that they had stopped.

Gimli had seen a door that was ajar and despite the detail that he did not remember much of the way through Moria, he knew the tomb that was inside the room. With wide eyes the dwarf moved quickly to the door and pushed his way through. Gandalf did not look pleased at the dwarf's sudden departure, but as curiosity got the best of them, they all followed.

The young woman followed in after Gandalf and Aragorn, and stepped around them to see what had gotten Gimli so upset. There in the center of the room, moonlight shone down upon a white tomb. It was flat across the top and the entire stone seemed to glow white due to the moon's shine. Around the room Celine tried not to look at the carcasses that were not so lucky to be buried. The whole room in general was a mess as stone blocks had fallen and many pillars were chipped.

"No...no...oh, no!" Gimli cried kneeling in front of the tomb.

Gandalf moved to the side of the tomb and read the inscription carved into it. "'Here lies Balin, son of Fudin, Lord of Moria.' He is dead, then. It's as I had feared." Gimli let out another soft cry as Gandalf finished his words. Out of respect Gandalf removed his hat and placed it against his chest.

Gandalf looked around the room and noticed a large book held in the hands of a deceased dwarf. Handing his hat and staff to Pippin, who stood nearby, he knelt down to retrieve the book. There were a few cobwebs across the book and Gandalf brushed them away and blew down on the book to rid it of the dust.

While Gandalf went to retrieve the book, Celine just sort of stood of to the side with the two men and elf. She felt bad for Gimli and she wanted to offer some sort of condolences for his loss, but she didn't know how to approach the weeping dwarf. She was never good with extreme emotional situations, as she had never lost anyone that was close to her.

That was not the only thing stopping the younger woman though. An uncomfortable feeling began to settle in her stomach again, similar to the feeling with the Kraken. A tickling in the back of her mind urged her to recall any memories about the story, anything at all. But the only images that flew through her mind were the Black Riders and the hobbits escape, everything that occurred in the past.

"We must move on, we cannot linger." Legolas turned to whisper to Aragorn. Celine was near them so she heard the urgency in the elf's voice.

"They have taken the Bridge and the second hall: we have barred the gates...but cannot hold them for long...the ground shakes...drums in the deep...we cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. Will no- one save us? They are coming." Gandalf read aloud from the book in his hands, though very few were listening.

"Legolas is right." Celine suddenly spoke up and the elf and man turned to look down at her. "We should really go." A flash of fire flickered across her eyes but as soon as it came, it left. She had a gut feeling that something major was going to happen and it frustrated her to no end to why she couldn't remember it!

Aragorn said nothing to her but turned back to Legolas. "We shall leave in but a moment. Gandalf lingers for a purpose I am sure."

Celine was a little annoyed that Aragorn completely ignored her, so she tried to speak again but before she could, he cut her off. "My lady I want nothing more than to heed your words, but Gandalf has spoken." Aragorn said glancing down almost sadly at her. "We shall go the path that has been placed before us."

Nodding her head, Celine wanted to tell him that she couldn't exactly remember too much, but she was once again delayed from revealing that detail. While the Fellowship had been conversing with one another, no one paid much attention to the hobbit that seemed to slowly inching himself away from the group.

Pippin was looking around the tomb room and noticed a well that sat not too far off from the tomb. Curious as to why a well should be placed in a room for the dead, the hobbit made his way over to it. There was a dwarf carcass sitting atop the wall of the well in perfect balance. Pippin was shocked that the bones had not managed to tumble over the edge, so he believed the skeleton to be secure. There was an arrow protruding from the chest of the skeleton and because Pippin was a hobbit, he allowed his curiosity to get the best of him.

Moving the wizard's hat to his other hand, Pippin reached out towards the arrow. Surely the hobbit should have known better that to disturb the remains of any creature. He should have left the dead and paid them no head. His hand inched closer to the arrow and he soon grasped it lightly in his hand. Pippin twisted the arrow ever so slowly without any true purpose in mind. Unfortunately, the hobbit had not anticipated the head to become dislodged.

The hobbit watched in horror as the head tumbled off the body and down into the well. While he should have only been horrified of the fact that he had managed to disturb dead's bones, what made the matter that much worse was the loud clinking and clanking of the skull hitting the walls of the well.

Celine didn't see Pippin grasp the arrow and agitate the bones of the dead dwarf. She, along with the rest of the Fellowship, heard the loud noise that followed though. Pippin quickly turned around in horror as he realized the extent of the noise that had been made. While his back was turned to the rest of the body, the skeleton had lost its balance and that too fell down the depths of the well. The skull seemed to be noisy on its own, the added weight of the rest of the body made the noise seem deafening.

Not only that, but Pippin didn't think to grab the chain and pail that was soon pulled down the well as well.

The noise seemed to echo across the entire mine and the Fellowship stood on edge, afraid to even move. They were afraid that the goblins would now go and search for the cause of such a noise; they would not simply brush it off as other creatures would.

Celine tensed and bit her lip and sent a long and heartfelt prayer up to God. She may have joked about dying before, but she really, _really_, did not want to die at the hands of such a stupid mistake. Aragorn, who had been standing next to her, closed his eyes and let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The elf and other man also gave the smallest breath of relief. But Celine felt that tingling in her mind, something was going to happen.

Gandalf was infuriated at the young hobbit. "Fool of a Took!" The old man moved closer to the hobbit and snatched his hat and staff from Pippin's hands. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

As Gandalf began to move away from the hobbit, Celine caught his glance. "I…I don't think it's over yet." The young woman simply stated and no sooner than the words left her mouth, a large "BOOM" echoed throughout the chamber. Though the sound did not seem to come from outside the doors from where they entered, no, it was coming from inside the well.

It was as if a loud drum was being beat against and the beating soon began to quicken. It was growing louder and louder and the Fellowship immediately knew something was coming their way.

"Oh shit." Celine whispered as she listened to the echoing of the drum.

BOOM….BOOM….BOOM!

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Translations:

_Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul_ \- One Ring to rule them all, one Ring to find them, one Ring to bring them all and in darkness bind them

_Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen_ \- Gate of the Elves, open now for us! Doorway of the Dwarf-folk listen to the word of my tongue!

_mellon_ \- Friend

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A/N: Sorry to leave it at such a cliffhanger! But I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Prepare for the grand finale of Moria in the next chapter!

I know it probably seems a little strange that Celine can't really remember much of anything, but you will all soon learn why in Lothlorien! And some other details will be revealed there which I hope you will all like. Some of the chapter probably seemed like filler, but I'm still trying to secure a friendship between Celine and the company.

So please leave me a review on your thought and I hope I toned down on the swearing enough for you all

Until next time!


	11. Fly You Fools

A/N Another chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorite/followed this story! This is the chapter that wraps up Moria and we make our way into Lothlorien!

Aoine: Thank you so much for finding the time to review! I am a sucker for any sort of fairy tale and I have expanded far beyond the typical tales of the Grimm Brothers. I have read a few Irish tales as my search for new ones have brought the result up. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

KrystylSky: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

Bluebearsweetie: I'm so happy you like this story! Yeah Celine is definitely going to develop into more of a mature character as she is thrown into peril (and as romance ensues). Enjoy this new chapter!

landi7: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter too!

Arya: No your reviews are not annoying! I appreciate them! I'm so happy you clicked on my story and I'm glad you like it. I explain in a little footnote at the end of the chapter about "Arya moments" Thank you so much for your feedback!

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

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**Chapter 11**

The thundering sound of drums trembled its way across the rocky ground. Nobody was truly sure what was the cause of the sound until Sam glanced over at Frodo's sword. Glowing blue from inside its sheath, Sam immediately knew what was near.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam cried out while pointing to Frodo's sword. Everyone glanced down to see Frodo slowly draw out his sword and soon the blue light was visible to everyone.

"Orcs!" Legolas voiced everyone's thoughts.

Aragorn immediately sprang into action by moving Celine behind him. "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!" The rugged ranger urged Celine and the hobbits to draw near the wizard. Celine did not need much encouragement as she withdrew herself back to the cluster of hobbits behind Gandalf.

Hearing the "shring" of swords being drawn she noticed that the hobbits had unsheathed their swords and held them out in front of them. "Fear not my lady," Merry said glancing back at Celine. "we will protect you!"

While Celine was slightly touched by this, she knew that the hobbits had a shitty arm span. So she would probably be decapitated by the time the hobbits struck.

Boromir had rushed ahead of the Fellowship, back towards the door where they came in. He moved his head outside the door and glanced right and when he turned left, he quickly withdrew his head back into the room as arrows embedded themselves in the wood. Closing the door forcefully, the man of Gondor turned and gave the group an exasperated look. "They have a cave troll."

Wait, was this a problem? Was this, like troll size the size of an elephant? Or more like the trolls from Frozen? Celine would have voiced her question if she felt like her vocal chords were even working. She looked ahead and saw that the two men and the elf were quickly trying to barricade the door. As if just trying to delay the inevitable by a few moments. The elf tossed spears, axes, and fallen lumbers from the ceiling to the two men who rammed it against the door.

Gimli growled and moved to grab to nearby fallen axes. He climbed atop of Balin's tomb and snarled; "Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

No, no, please do not encourage them Gimli.

Alas, the world was never in Celine's favor. Celine could hear the pounding of hands and feet against the wooden door and she could see many shadows scattered beneath it. Aragorn and Legolas had their bows drawn and aimed at the door, waiting to release the arrow into goblin flesh. Some of the wood splintered as it looked like one of the goblins had smashed a small axe into it.

Being the one with the keenest eyesight, Legolas did not even hesitate as he saw one of the goblins faces in between the splintered wood. Releasing his arrow, the company heard the satisfactory sound of a squeal from a now dead goblin and this was the rude awakening Celine received. This was real and there was only one way that she was going to come out alive in this situation.

By sticking the goblins with the pointy end of her sword.

Drawing her sword out and trying, but failing, to cease the tremor in her limbs, Celine held the sword in her hand. She still had yet to even have "sword training" yet so she just had to rely on sheer luck. It seemed that she was only given that small moment to prepare as the door finally concaved under the sheer enormity of goblins that had thrown their weight atop of it.

The enemy rushed in like a tsunami that couldn't be avoided. Loud squeals and screams echoed around the room as the Fellowship charged straight into the enemy. Swords were swung with great precision and those that were trained in warfare only needed to strike the enemy once before they lay dead at their feet.

The elf continued to fire arrow after arrow until he deemed the enemy too close and then switched to his dual blades. Like the men, he need not stab a creature twice because one cut to the throat ceased their movements. The dwarf and wizard too entered the fray of battle, Gimli with his axes and Gandalf brandishing Glamdring, they cut threw the enemies bodies.

Though the Fellowship fought hard, attempting to slay all the orcs and goblins before they reached the hobbits and Celine, there were far too many of them. Orcs rushed at the hobbits and they quickly jumped into action. Merry and Pippin quickly recounted their sword training that they had received from Boromir and parried and swiped at the enemy. Though the hobbits were by no means soldiers, so it was often a game of attack and defense between the halfling and orc.

Each companion was on their own and soon Celine saw an orc charge at her, with no intent to stop. It was a disgusting sight to as the skin looked greyish and sickly, there were piercings across its face in ears and in places that they probably shouldn't have gone. The face, if Celine could even call it that, barely held any resemblance to that of a human. It looked skewed and concaved in certain bits on the skin. Having no more time to contemplate what had occurred to deform such a beast, Celine had to quickly side step the charging orc.

Stepping quickly off to the side, Celine watched as the orc, due to momentum, charged past her and cantered into the nearby stonewall. Unfortunately there wasn't enough force to even knock out the creature, so instead to jumped back to its feet and dashed towards her again. Except this time it was at a more controlled pace. Sort of.

The orc swung its sword in an arc and Celine jumped to the side once more. The deformed creature growled in frustration and continued to swing, almost wildly, at the retreating woman. Celine held her sword at her side as she was focused on just trying not to be impaled by the dirty looking sword that the orc held. She stepped left and right rather quickly, keeping her eyes trained on the swinging sword. Though the young woman could only retreat so far until she would trip over rubble.

Her left heel caught onto some large, rocky structure and caused her to go crashing down on her back. Slightly stunned from the impact and gritting her teeth as the rocks dug through her sweater and into her skin, she nearly missed the joyful look on the orc's face.

Eyes widening she saw the orc step forward and raise its sword over her chest. Completely forgetting about the sword in her hand, Celine did what every woman would do in a threatening situation.

No not scream, you got to give her a little more credit than that.

Celine hoped to God that the orc was not a unisex race as she raised he right heel and with as much force as a charging rhino, Celine dug her heel into the place where the sun doesn't tend to shine. The orc's eye grew to the size of golf balls and it ceased its swords movements. Wasting no time in even patting herself on the back Celine gripped her sword in her clammy hands and raised it up into the chest of the orc.

The sword sunk into the orcs flesh and said beast howled in pain before going limp. Foul, black blood splattered onto her sweater and neck. Nearly gagging in the realization that she had someone else's blood on her, Celine quickly tried to withdraw the sword. But the sword was wrenched out of her hands as the orc tumbled backwards to the ground.

Orc: 0. Celine: 1.

Celine should have felt relieved, or maybe even proud, at the fact that she had killed the oncoming orc. But in actuality, she sort of felt disgusted with herself. She never ever in her entire life had killed something; it was almost nauseating to think about. Understandably, her life was threatened, but it only helped calm her nerves by a fraction.

The thought came and went quickly as Celine realized she was weaponless. Rushing back to the fallen body, she hesitated slightly before tugging on the sword. The sword slowly began to come loose, but another screech made her whip her head around.

Abandoning her sword, Celine moved to the side as another sword swung down upon her. The goblin's sword missed and instead embedded itself in the flesh of the already dead orc. Wrenching its sword out of the carcass, the goblin surged forward as Celine moved back.

"This isn't fair!" Celine cried out to the goblin as she jumped back again. "I don't have a sword! You're at an unfair advantage!" The young woman squealed and ducked as the goblin struck higher, assumedly aiming for her head. Expecting another attack Celine moved her head up and watched the goblin raise its sword. Though another loud noise stole Celine and the goblins attention away from each other.

Her jaw dropped as she saw what had stumbled through the now non-existent door. "I'm guessing that's your cave troll." Celine whispered more to herself than anyone else. The cave troll stood 12 feet tall and held a club in its hand. It roared loudly and began to swing its club wildly at the ground, not even bothered about hearing the cracking of goblin bodies that smacked into the wall.

Celine was having flashbacks of Harry Potter where there was a troll in the girl's bathroom. Except she wasn't Hermione and she did not the hiding places she did.

The ground seemed to move beneath their feet at every step the troll took. The troll was still swinging its club wildly and Celine noticed the troll move closer to her. Jumping back and plastering herself against the wall, Celine was satisfied at the squeal that erupted from her now dead opponent. The troll's club had crushed the goblin that was attacking her.

Troll: 1. Celine: 1. Goblin: Non-existent.

Running away behind the pillars Celine tried to locate the carcass that still had her sword embedded into its chest. There were just some many bodies lying around that she could barely see any of her companions. Running towards another pillar she threw herself behind it as an orc rushed towards her. Moving quickly to the other side of the pillar she nearly collided with a frying pan.

Yes, a frying pan.

Sam stood beside her and nearly swung his cooking item into her face but at the last minute, Celine tossed herself to the ground. She turned around at the sound of metal hitting bone and saw an orc crumble to the ground. Scrambling back onto her feet she saw as Sam swung his frying ban at another orc, which too crumbled to the floor in a heap.

The hobbit looked up at Celine and nodded to her. "I think I'm getting the hang of this." He said as he took another swing at an orc.

"That makes one of us." Celine grumbled as she had barely managed to take out one orc. She moved backwards but a sharp pain exploded in the back of her skull as she realized one of the orcs had grabbed onto her braid. The orc pulled her braid and Celine grit her teeth as she brought her hands around to the back of her braid, trying to tug it out of the filth's hands.

"Let go!" Celine growled as she took her elbow and tried to ram it into the gut of the disgusting creature. Unfortunately for her, the orc had a layer of armor across its torso and any pain Celine hoped to inflict on it, was rebounded to herself. Crying out in pain Celine moved her hands back up to the back of the braid knowing that her plan was not going to work.

"What will you do now little halfling?" The orc snarled as it yanked further on Celine's braid. Celine blinked as she digested what the orc had just muttered in her ear.

What the fuck?

Halfling?!

Now that's just insulting!

Celine squirmed more as she felt the tip of something extremely sharp press into her side. But before the blade could sink further into her skin, she saw something shiny flicker right by her face and into the skull of the orc behind her. Startled, the woman reeled back and saw an arrow lodged in the eye socket of the orc. Not even taking a chance to throw Legolas a "thank you", Celine scurried back over to her sword. With the adrenaline rush still kicking, Celine managed to yank the sword out of the body and grip it tightly in her hand.

The troll was whipping a chain around the scene, making it collide with various stonewalls, orcs, and goblins. How the Fellowship managed to avoid it was completely beside her. Celine, out of the corner of her eye, saw that the troll had its eyes set on the elf.

Whipping the chain around its head, the troll aimed it at Legolas, trying to knock the agile elf off his feet. The elf ducked a few times, trying to gauge the right moment to strike. The chain had eventually managed to wrap its way around a stone column and Legolas assured that the end of it would not move. The troll tugged and tugged, trying to remove the chain from around the stone. Quickly jumping onto the makeshift tightrope, Legolas ran across it and onto the troll. Knocking two arrows, Legolas shot the beast in the head and jumped off as the troll howled in pain.

Celine usually thought when something went through the head, whatever it was would die. What is up with this troll?!

"Aragorn! Aragorn!" Celine turned around to spot Frodo screaming for the ranger as he attempted to scurry away from the troll. The troll grabbed onto the hobbits leg and began to drag him away from the corner he had put himself in.

The ranger turned to spot the ring bearer moving away from the troll. With a mighty cry Aragorn sliced through the oncoming orcs and made his way to the hobbit. Grabbing a fallen spear on the ground, the ranger took it and rammed it into the side of the troll. But troll skin is very thick and the spears tip only went into the flesh a little bit.

Shocked, the troll turned to the ranger and swung the man into the wall. The impact was hard and Aragorn barely had a moments notice to prepare. Instead, his skull cracked against the wall and he immediately fell into darkness.

Frodo had seen the troll lob its club into the ranger's body and rushed over the man. Noticing Aragorn was knocked out cold, the hobbit tried to awaken him by shaking his unmoving body. No response came from the ranger and the hobbit turned around to see the troll make its way towards them.

Moving away from his fallen companion, Frodo tried to put distance between himself and the troll. The giant creature took a nearby steel spear and began to attempt to gut the small hobbit. Frodo managed to avoid the first few thrusts of the weapon, but the troll threw its sword in front of the Frodo, ceasing his intent to run.

Throwing the hobbit to the wall behind him, Frodo was stunned as the breath was knocked out of him. He saw the troll smile slightly and draw back its weapon before thrusting it into the small hobbits form. A cry of pain, mixed with shock, emitted from Frodo's mouth. But that small cry alerted everyone in the Fellowship that something had happened to him.

Time seemed to stand still as one by one, everyone's eyes fell to the collapsing ring bearer. Gandalf looked shocked at the sudden fate that seemed to befall the young Baggins. Merry and Pippin were the first to let their anger control them as they cried out rushing to the troll. The two were atop a stonewall and without a second thought, they threw themselves on top of the troll and tried to stab the creature.

Sam was the next to cry out Frodo's name and bravely wielded his sword as he began to slice through the orcs that rushed at him. One by one the Fellowship brandished their weapons and seemed to attack the enemy with a new purpose. The orcs numbers seemed to be receding as they began to drop dead like flies. And soon the only enemy that truly remained was the one that had murdered Frodo.

Celine's lips parted as she watched in horror as the hobbit slid against the wall and fell towards the ground. She did not give the Fellowship a second glance as they all rushed to defeat the troll together. Instead she moved towards the hobbit, more confused than upset. This wasn't the ending of the story, it was much too soon. There was so much to be done.

Fumbling with her sword, Celine eventually sheathed her sword as she fell to her knees beside Frodo. There was no movement to indicate that the hobbit had survived and Celine immediately feared the worse. She should have been concerned with the change in story and that perhaps there was no chance for Middle Earth reigning victorious in this war. But instead the hurt that blossomed in her chest came from the fact that Frodo had perished.

An earth shaking "thump" alerted Celine to the fact that the Fellowship had succeeded in slaying the troll. Glancing up, she saw the Fellowship move forward towards their fallen comrade with their weapons held limply at their sides. Sam rushed passed everyone and hesitated before kneeling down by Frodo. Sam looked visibly upset and near tears as his hands shook.

Celine gently turned Frodo over, so that he was no longer face first into the floor. But as soon as the hobbit was a face up, he took in a deep breath of air, startling those around him. Celine reeled back as she felt like her heart nearly exploded at such a fright.

The first thing her mind thought was: zombie.

Thankfully that didn't seem like the case.

Gasping his chest and heaving in oxygen, Frodo fumbled to sit up and face everyone. Sam looked relieved and turned back to the Fellowship. "He's alive!"

"Jesus Christ!" Celine held her hand over her wildly beating heart. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Frodo smiled ever so slightly and offered her a shrug of his shoulders, as he will still trying to catch his breath.

Aragorn stepped forward towards the hobbit relieved that he was alive but perplexed at how he managed to avoid such a swift death. "You should be dead. That spear would've skewered a wild boar!"

The wizard held a smug look on his face and leaned against his staff while eyeing Frodo. "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye." Frodo looked down and slowly unbuttoned the top of his tunic. Celine raised an eyebrow to why the hobbit would suddenly feel the need to undress but her jaw soon dropped at to what Frodo revealed.

It was unlike anything that she had ever seen before! Frodo wore a brilliant white shirt beneath his tunic, but the tunic was not made with a sort of material. Instead, it looked like someone had taken diamonds and weaved them together. It sparkled brightly and the beading near the neckline put her high school prom dress to shame. It was stunning to see and she was in complete awe over it, but she didn't understand why the shirt held any importance.

She didn't think the expression "fashion over function" existed in Middle Earth.

"Mithril!" Gimli awed over such a sight. "You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."

The moment of joy was cut short as another "BOOM" echoed throughout the chamber. They had managed to defeat the foes here, but more were sure too come. Gandalf's face contorted into a slight panic. "To the bridge of Khazad-dum!"

They were all soon back on their feet and sprinting out of the destroyed tomb. Screeching, screaming, squealing echoed all around the large cavern that they stepped back in to. To their left a hoard of orcs ran towards them, far more than Celine could count.

Gandalf led the company with his staff held high to light the path they were running. Boromir had quickly grabbed the fallen torch before exiting the tomb to help light the way. Everyone still had their weapons out as they sorely realized that they would undoubtedly be using them.

Glancing back at the oncoming orcs that were rushing towards them, Celine stumbled slightly, almost losing her balance. Aragorn quickly grabbed her wrist and righted her before gripping it tightly as they ran. Celine's eyes were darting around the cavern as she saw goblins crawling out of holes they burrowed into the ground. They were rising to the surface like ants leaving an anthill.

They were coming out of every crack and crevice it seemed! From the ground, the walls, and even the ceiling. The creatures crawled down the pillars on all fours before jumping to the floor to join the chase. The Fellowship quickened their pace even more, but they all somehow believed there was no possible way that they could out run them.

The enemy had ceased their movements though as they managed to surround them on all sides. Celine turned her head left and right, not seeing anything but a sea of grotesque bodies. They were still screeching and they clanged their sword together, making them look more intimidating.

Aragorn pulled her back, slightly behind his shoulder. He could feel the tremor of her body as he gripped her wrist while they ran. She was frightened, as she should be, but he would have commended her for the way she fought in the tomb. He had managed to keep one eye on her while trying to protect the hobbits and avoid the end of a sword. But there was no way she would survive this, her weaponry skills were non-existent. But he would fight until his last breath for her and the company. To be subjected to a death by orc or goblin was something he wished upon no one.

The ranger grit his teeth as he realized there was no way that he and the company would be able to make it out of Moria alive. Nonetheless, he and the others in the Fellowship had their weapons ready, prepared to fight until the very end. If this was their fate, they would not fall without a battle.

Celine did nothing as Aragorn pushed her behind him; instead she saw flashes of fire and smoke in front of her eyes. She could smell smoke and burning flesh. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Her brain felt like exploding as images of fire, bodies, and arrows flickered across her eyes.

"What," Celine paused and licked her lips trying to allow the words to fall out of her mouth. "what did the dwarves awaken in this dark place?" She whispered glancing to her left, down the long corridor into shadow. Gandalf seemed to be the only one to react to her question. His body stiffened and despite their dire situation they were in, he turned slowly to look down at her.

Celine couldn't even begin to explain this feeling that was blossoming in her chest. Her fear increased by tenfold as she glanced down the corridor. Fire, smoke, burning, and screams rattled throughout her skull. A giant flaming creature roaring and had an air of death around it. It was like a fuzzy memory Celine couldn't quite grip, something that she truly didn't know about. But she knew one thing for sure.

Her eyes flickered up to the wizard. "It is coming."

A sudden sound entered the chamber, but it was completely different to the goblins and orcs. Everyone turned to look to the source of the sound but only the enemies were the ones to quickly react. The sound bounced off the walls again and the goblins started to scream in fright. They scrambled over each other and tried to climb the pillars as fast as they could. They ran away so fast that it left the company in a state of confusion. An orange glow began to echo in the distance.

The dwarf laughed and cheered as he saw the foul beings retreat. Believing they were too cowardly to match in a fight with the company. The men lowered their swords and Legolas loosened his grip on his arrow, but they did not feel safe at all. Instead, they continued to stare off ahead of them where the loud noise seemed to come from. Something seemed to be coming closer as the orange glow seemed more and more prominent on the wall.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir whispered staring ahead.

If Celine had looked up at Gandalf's face, she would have seen a look of defeat. The wizard knew what was coming, and Celine understood that whatever was coming was not simple orc or goblin. All was quiet for a few moments and the company heard the sound of large steps across the floor. Aragorn glanced ahead then back at Gandalf, confused as to what approached. The elf, though, seemed like the only one who had a feeling of what was coming. All elves knew the tale of the ancient fiery beast that lay beneath the earth. But they all knew it was a tale, a tale of a beast that existed long before their time. It was never until this moment, that Legolas had felt such a strong feeling of fear as Gandalf spoke his next few words.

"A Balrog…a demon of the ancient world." Gandalf spoke quietly at first as he watched the lights flicker off the stonewall. But soon the wizard's voice rose and a hint of panic graced his vocal chords. "This foe is beyond any of you! Run!"

The Fellowship needed no encouragement as their feet flew across the ground in a hurried pace. Ahead of them was another doorway that led to another part of Moria. Celine had no idea where there were going, but the echoing sound of the Balrog's roar didn't make her question anything.

Boromir ran first this time with his torch in hand, trying to light and determine a pathway for his companions to follow. He was running quickly, not allowing him a moment to really digest where he was going. Boromir ran straight down the staircase but quickly tried to skit to a stop as the case had been shattered. The torch slipped from the man's hands as he tried to balance himself before he could tumble into the abyss.

The elf heard the man's cry and quickly grabbed him from behind and pulled him back, making them both crash down onto their backs. The hobbits too quickly skidded to a stop, grasping onto each other's small forms. They looked ash stricken as they thought they had nowhere else to run.

Celine, Aragorn, and Gandalf brought up the rear. Gandalf rested himself against the wall for a moment, trying not to let his fear overpower his sense of reason. Celine and Aragorn turned around to look at Gandalf and the ranger approached the wizard. "Gandalf?"

"Lead them on, Aragorn. The bridge is near." Gandalf said grasping the ranger's shoulder. Aragorn could sense that there was a deeper meaning to his words, as the wizard could some how sense that his time was nearing. Aragorn moved towards the wizard in an attempt to grab him and help him to the bridge. Gandalf though did not want Aragorn to delay and possibly give his life for him, so he shoved the ranger away and cried; "Do as I say; swords are no more use here!"

Celine looked horror stricken at Gandalf, who caught her eye. "My fate is my own!" He spoke roughly to her as he urged her to run with Aragorn.

The Fellowship turned to the neighboring staircase and raced down the many steps. Celine kept her eyes glued to the ground and tried to focus on not tripping and possibly falling to her doom. But she soon came to a halt behind the elf. The staircase they had taken was crumbled like the one before, but this one did not have such a gaping hole.

The elf leapt across the open air knowing that he was the best one to help the others across. Turning around he beckoned for Gandalf to jump next. Gandalf threw himself over to the opposing platform where Legolas helped steady his landing.

Boromir knew the hobbits legs were too short, so scooping up Merry and Pippin; he threw himself with all his might over to the other side. The man was strong so he made it safely across the way without much trouble. Placing the hobbits down he turned back around to help Legolas catch their other companions.

"Celine!" The young woman turned to look at the elf as he beckoned for her to jump. She was terrified of heights, but she was more terrified of the Balrog. She could feel the scorching heat through her sweater and the air was becoming sticky and making it hard to breathe. Taking in a shaky breath, Celine leapt over and the elf easily caught her. Placing her on the stairs, she moved behind him to join Gandalf and the hobbits.

The stairs that they had been standing on began to crumble slightly and the ranger knew they could waste no more time. Grabbing Sam and hefted him over to the other side but as he turned to the dwarf, Gimli held up a gloved hand. "Nobody tosses a dwarf!" With a loud cry he jumped over to the other side. But his legs were not long enough to give him much distance and he barely grazed the platform. He began to titter back slightly and the elf reacted quickly, latching onto the dwarf's beard. "Not the beard!" Legolas ignored the dwarf and he hefted the dwarf up straight and onto the platform.

Celine would have laughed out loud at the dwarf if she were not so frightened. Though the Balrog that was coming after them was bad enough, goblins had crawled out of their tunnels and began to raise their bows. Celine was still watching the last two with worried eyes; Aragorn and Frodo were still stranded on the other half of the stairs.

She didn't notice the goblins until she felt a stinging sensation on the side of her neck. It honestly felt like someone had given her a paper cut on the side of her neck. Lifting her hand up, she touched the side of her neck, feeling something sticky and moist. Bringing her hand out to the front of her eyes she could make out the dark and wet substance on her fingers. At the sound of a "twang" Celine saw Legolas had already began to fire arrows back at the goblins.

And if she had binoculars she could have seen that Legolas was hitting every single goblin between the eyes.

Dropping her hand back to the side of her waist, she focused her attention back on Aragorn and Frodo. The situation could not seem to get any worse than it was, but it did, it always did. A large bolder caved from the ceiling and Aragorn threw Frodo back as it crashed onto the stairs. The steps beneath the ranger crumbled and his hands grabbed onto the remaining platform.

The Fellowship watched with horror, as the ranger was able to heave himself back onto the stairs, only to see the structure that was holding them up, began to crumble away. The two swayed on the stairs and Aragorn spoke something to Frodo and the two began to lean forward. Whether it was sheer luck, or actual physics, Aragorn and Frodo were able to careen forward and crash into where the rest of the Fellowship stood.

As soon as the other two were safely with the others, Gandalf led the rest of the way down the staircase. They made it to flat ground but the Balrog was much nearer down. Flames coated the ground and a loud roar ricocheted through their eardrums.

Gandalf yelled at the company to run faster, they were so close to the bridge that Celine could see it. "Over the bridge! Fly!" They company ran quickly passed the wizard, who stood off to the side to make sure the whole company was ahead of him.

The heat grew so intense that Celine risked a glance behind her and saw one of the most terrifying demons in her life. The Balrog stood taller than any creature that ever existed on Earth. The demon looked to have burned and ashy skin and flames coated its entire being inside and out. Great horns, curved like those on rams, were larger than that of an elephant. It opened its mouth and roared loudly, shaking the ground beneath the company's feet.

The bridge was near and Celine pushed her legs to run faster as the image of the Balrog was engraved in her mind. Aragorn, Boromir, the hobbits, Celine, Gimli, and finally Legolas ran across the bridge without once glancing back to see how close the Balrog was.

Though, like everything else in Moria, the bridge was suspended hundreds of meters above the ground, no railings, and did not seem to have any support.

Making it across to the other side, everyone turned around to see the wizard run halfway across the bridge before ceasing his movements and turning around. "You cannot pass!" Gandalf shouted with his staff and sword held high.

Frodo was afraid, afraid for Gandalf for he did not continue to run. Instead he stood to face the beast by himself. "Gandalf!" Frodo cried out having horrific feeling settle in the pits of his stomach.

Noticing the sole man standing by himself on the bridge, the Balrog raised itself to its full height. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun." Gandalf spoke while raising his staff high. A glowing white light encased his being forming a bubble around him. The Balrog drew out what looked like a flaming sword and struck Gandalf. But the flaming sword bouncing back as it hit Gandalf's protective spell. Roaring even louder than before, the Balrog moved its face even closer to Gandalf as a means to intimidate him.

"Go back to the shadow." Gandalf growled at the beast not showing a single sign of fear. The Balrog took a step towards the bridge while now brandishing a whip that was lit aflame. It crashed the whip against the side of the bridge close to where Gandalf stood.

"You, shall not, pass!" Gandalf yelled so fiercely Celine felt a shiver run down her spine. Gandalf crushed the end of his staff onto the bridge that he stood upon. Nothing immediately happened so the Balrog was not dismayed from its purpose. Taking a step onto the bridge, the Balrog raised its whip high in an attempt to strike the wizard down. But as soon as it stepped onto the bridge, the structure began to crumble at its feet.

Only the portion of the bridge that was in front of Gandalf's staff crumbled as that was the only part Gandalf weakened with his staff. The Balrog fell into the darkening abyss and Gandalf looked ached but he slowly turned away from the bridge as the demon fell.

His movement ceased as the Balrog's whip moved upwards and circled its way around Gandalf's foot, yanking him off balance. The wizard cried out in surprise as he let go of his staff and sword in order to latch onto the edge of the bridge.

The Fellowship and Celine looked out towards Gandalf, horror stricken at the sudden situation. Frodo felt like his heart was being crushed under a great weight as he saw his dear friend hanging on to the rock. "GANDALF!" The hobbit screamed.

Gandalf looked up towards the Fellowship as he realized there was only one outcome to the situation. "Fly you fools."

Then he let go.

"NO" Frodo screamed with all his heart as he refused to leave Gandalf to his fate. He moved to run forward but Boromir grabbed him around the middle and practically had to carry him out of the mine. The hobbit struggled against the man but Boromir only paused to urge Aragorn to run out of the mine with them.

Frodo's scream felt like a knife was trying to carve her heart out of her chest. Celine watched as the scene played out exactly like the film, it was like a moment of déjà vu. The tickling in her mind ceased as she watched Gandalf fall, presumably to his death. Why didn't she say anything? She wasn't one to listen to rules or be silenced by others. What stopped her this time? Could she have even done something?

Arrows continued to rain down on them, but everyone seemed to forget about them for a moment. Someone grabbed her forearm and ran with her out of the mine. She didn't know whom, and she didn't care.

Running up stairs and out into the blinding light caused Celine to cover her eyes temporarily with her free hand. It was so bright and the sudden onslaught of light made her retinas very sensitive. Though after a few moments, she lowered her hand to see where she was.

The mine had deposited them onto a lower side of a rocky mountain. Someone was still holding her arm as she let him lead her to where ever they were going. Soon everyone ceased their movement and Celine looked to see several of her companions collapse to the ground. Crying in agony as the reality set in that had lost their friend to such a beast. The events played over and over in their heads as hands moved to cover their faces as they cried.

Celine looked behind her to see Gimli shouting and moving back towards the mine, even though he knew deep down there was nothing else that could be done. Boromir held Gimli back, not allowing him to act upon his rash decision.

Merry and Pippin had collapsed to the ground, nearby to Sam, and Merry held Pippin as he sobbed against his cousin. Pippin felt immense guilt, if perhaps he didn't touch the skeleton, the noise didn't draw out the enemy, perhaps Gandalf would still be with them.

Moving her head back around she saw Legolas standing in front of her looking out in to the side. His face was slightly marred with dirt on his forehead, or a possible forming bruise, she didn't know. Legolas looked crestfallen and hurt, but he still managed to keep it together better than anyone else in this company.

Something wet was slipping down her cheek and she raised her hand to wipe it away. Pulling her hand back she saw it was crystalline tears drops. Celine hadn't noticed she'd been crying, all she felt was the tightness in her heart that did not seem to loosen at all. Gritting her teeth, she pulled down the sleeve of her sweater to wipe her eyes and cease her crying. What right did she have to cry? She barely knew the wizard, but she knew his fate…well…she would have if she remembered in time.

Legolas turned to look down at the woman to his side and noticed her furiously wiping her face with the thick sleeve of her sweater. As she lowered her arm, Legolas caught sight of the sticky red liquid that was running down her neck.

The elf stepped in front of Celine, who raised her head to look up at him. Pain shot through her neck when she moved it, but she tried her best to ignore it. Legolas bent down a little and placed one hand on her shoulder while he moved the other to the side of her neck. Placing his hand on the bleeding wound, he tried to stem the blood flow. It was not too deep, but the neck was a center point for blood flow, losing too much would cause fatigue.

Celine hissed at the sudden contact and tried to push his hand away, annoyed at his sudden concern. "Stop." She grasped the elf's wrist and tried to move his hand away from her neck, but the elf didn't budge. Where was his concern when Gandalf fell?! Did he do anything to help him?!

"Legolas," Aragorn called from distance, he was wiping his sword clean of orc and goblin blood. "get them up."

"_Hîn __í__e harn_." The elf replied casting his gaze back to the ranger. Aragorn looked to the elf and noticed an angry look on the woman's face while Legolas held his hand over her neck. Blood oozed between the elf's fingers but the elf paid it no attention, he was accustomed to the sight of blood, as he has attended to his kin on many accounts. Nodding for the elf to quickly bind her would, he moved towards Sam to get him on his feet.

Boromir understood the company's pain at the loss of Gandalf and was angry at how quickly the ranger had moved on. "Give them a moment for pity's sake!"

Boromir mistook Aragorn's brashness for the situation as dismissal of grief. "By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs! We must reach the woods of Lothlorien. Come, Boromir, Gimli, get them up." Aragorn turned his attention back to the hobbit and lifted him to his feet. "On your feet, Sam."

Legolas moved his hands from Celine's shoulder as Aragorn tossed him a roll of battered cloth. Celine eyed it suspiciously as the cloth did not look sanitary and there was nothing to cleanse it with. "When I remove my hand, you must replace it with your own. Put pressure on it to help stem the blood flow." Legolas said looking at the woman.

Celine sighed and nodded her head ever so slightly and when Legolas withdrew his now bloody hand, Celine put hers over the wound. She winced as she lightly pressed her hand over the wound; it hurt whenever someone touched it and even more when there was so much pressure. Legolas moved to get his water skin but stopped mid-gesture as he looked at Celine. He didn't even hesitate as he put his hand over Celine's and pressed more firmly onto her skin, which caused her to yelp. "Pressure, I said."

Oh there were so many things Celine wanted to say to this elf.

Legolas dampened a small portion of the cloth and Celine moved her hand so he could inspect the wound. Moving the damp cloth gently across the skin, Legolas could see the would was shallow. The amount of blood oozing out portrayed a grievous wound, but it was only due to the location of the injury.

Celine avoided eye contact with the elf as he cleaned her neck. She was still fighting back tears and when she couldn't she would try to blink them away. Gandalf was gone and there was no sense in crying, what's done is done. She barely knew the wizard, why was she acting like she had suddenly lost a life long friend?

"There is no shame in grief." The elf whispered as he moved to wrap the cloth around her neck noticing the woman try to desperately fight the tears that gathered in her eyes. She grieved for the wizard like they all did, but she was more reluctant to show hers.

"Then where is yours?!" Celine spat and instantly regretted her words. God she was such a bitch, and that moment proved it. The elf gave no response but finished wrapping her neck, making sure it was not too tight and did not obstruct her ability to breathe.

"Come," Legolas said straightening himself back to his full height. "we can linger no more." He moved ahead of the woman and pushed her harsh words to the back of his mind. She did not understand that the elves grieve in different ways of man, they carry much hurt within the heart and seldom do they cry. Only when the build up of grief has become too much for them to bear, and in that wake, it could often leave them to fade.

Aragorn led the company across the vast land towards the direction of Lothlorien. Everyone was mostly quiet, not speaking much to each other. The hobbits were sullen and barely even looked in one another's direction. The worst of them was Frodo who seemed to be an empty shell. While the Ring may have taken a toll on him before, Gandalf's passing crushed him. He looked lifeless, as he held no expression; he was truly a pitiful sight to look at.

What was even stranger was that Boromir's face grew even paler and grimmer the closer they moved to Lothlorien. He said nothing and kept pace with the ranger, his step never faltering. What went through his mind she did not know.

Slowly Celine was able to cease any attempt of crying as she gained control of her water ducts. But she felt far from fine. Celine's mind kept replaying Gandalf's fall and tried to figure out if there was ever a moment where she could have intervened. Perhaps at the tombs she could have stopped Pippin from messing with the skeleton. Maybe she could have urged Gandalf to run immediately after he crushed the bridge. What if-? Her thoughts were cut off the company approached the outskirts of the forest.

The light of the sun began to fade as they grew closer and closer to the woods. The Fellowship slowed considerably as they entered the woodland. Aragorn spoke that they have entered the forests of Lothlorien and that he has heard that it's beauty has no comparison. "I am joyous to be beneath the trees of Lorien! But we still remain five leagues away, let us hope that we may cross a greater distance before the sunsets. I only hope that the righteousness of the elves will keep us from the peril that lingers behind."

"If elves still dwell within this darkening world." Gimli muttered.

"Nay, my kindred have not left for the shores." Legolas replied. "It has been rumored through our land that there is a power that keeps evil from tainting these woods. Elves are seldom seen, so perhaps they no longer venture this far north of the border."

"Let us continue, but only until we deem it safe enough to rest." Aragorn said, as the ranger turned to move forward, Boromir grasped his arm to cease his movements. Celine paused for a moment, staring at the two, before turning around and trailing after the others in the company.

"Aragorn is there truly no other way?" The man of Gondor spoke lowly while glancing up towards the treetops.

"This is our safest path," The ranger replied. "Gandalf had planned to lead us here."

"Gandalf is no longer here!" Boromir growled as he became enraged with the ranger's word. "This company has been led through strange paths, through the Pass of Caradhras and the Mines of Moria. Did I not say we would experience misfortune? In Gondor it is spoken that few who enter ever come out of the wood. Heed my words ranger, we must find a different path."

Aragorn paused to gaze into the man's eyes. Boromir looked paranoid and lacked sleep, as they all have. But none felt such a strong hold of the Ring as Boromir had. The man fought it well, but it was only a matter of time before his battle would be lost.

"This is our path." Aragorn moved his hand to Boromir's shoulder in a brotherly manner. "Come, we fall behind." The two men jogged quickly to catch up with the company who had moved further into the woods.

"Stay close, young hobbits...they say a Sorceress lives in these woods. An elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell..." Gimli ushered the hobbits to draw nearer to his form. "and are never seen again!"

Celine cast her eyes towards Gimli, listening carefully to his words. At the word "elf-witch" a flash of white and beauty appeared before her eyes. Blinking her eyes, Celine tried to rid them of the strange sight. She didn't want any more sights of the past or future. She just wanted to see the ground in front of her so she didn't trip.

"_Celine…_" The woman jumped and her eyes widened as she looked around. A woman spoke her name, but she was nowhere to be seen. "_One so young who has seen much in such a short time._" The soft voice spoke and again, a tickling appeared in the back of her mind. Flashes of white, a serene face, and a basin filled with water flickered across her eyes.

She hadn't realized she stopped walking until she felt a hand on her lower back, urging her to keep moving. Celine knew who it was, but did not raise her eyes to the elf, still feeling ashamed of her harsh words. He was the last person she wanted to see.

"Well!" Gimli said puffing his chest out slightly and raising his ax a little higher on his form. "Here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily! I have the eyes of a hawk, and ears of a fox!" As soon as the words left the dwarf's mouth, he stopped moving as he was greeted face-to-face with an arrow. "Oh!"

Everyone pulled up short as they noticed the abundance of arrows in their face. Merry and Pippin's eyes darted around the area, shocked at the sudden appearance of the elves. Boromir was astonished but did not make any attempt to draw his weapon, as he knew the elves already had the upper hand. The only one that had quick enough reflexes to draw his own weapon was Legolas. Despite the fact that the elves were kin, he reacted as if the enemy surrounded him.

Celine stopped just before she would lose her eye to the butt end of an arrow. The elves that surrounded them held stoic expressions and were extremely close to the company. They had blonde hair, but not quite the platinum shade as Legolas', and their faces were perfectly structured. Their bows were taut and the sudden slip of the elves fingers would surely end their lives.

A figure stepped forward, garbed in colors of the forest, like those around him, but he held an air of dignity that the other elves did not. "The dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." The elf said stopping just before the company. His eyes flickered to the dwarf and a distasteful expression filled his features.

The tickling in her mind had yet to stop as the face of the leading elf stood before her. Something about this elf was familiar; his role had some impact on the story. She could feel the tightening of her chest as a feeling of dread spread across her limbs, but she didn't know why.

The elf's eyes darted around the company, noting all that appeared in the group. The sight to two men, elf, dwarf, four hobbits, and a lone woman were a strange sight to see in such times. The strangest of the company was the woman for her garb was different from those of other women, both man and elf, that he had seen. Allowing his gaze to rest a few moments longer on the woman, he shifted his attention back to those in front of him.

"Come, night falls. We will not seek to stay the night on the ground. Up in the trees we shall talk."

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Translations:

_Hîn __í__e harn _– She is hurt

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A/N And there you have it! Let me just say the ending of this chapter went under major revision as I did not know how I exactly wanted the company to approach the Lorien elves. I incorporated some dialogue from the book, but only when I deemed it necessary. You can probably tell where it is as the speech seems to differentiate from their usual dialect.

Like I said, I will stick mostly to the movies. The reason I choose to incorporate some of the book is to explain Boromir's unease within Lothlorien. Something I think wasn't really explained in the movies.

Lastly, it has been brought to my attention by a lovely reviewer, that some of you may not understand my references in some chapters XD I just assumed people understood my references and if they didn't, that's okay too. I'll go back to the chapters that contained my "Arya" reference and explain what that meant. If you're just looking for a quick answer, then Arya is from "Game of Thrones."

Please review and let me know what you think! Next chapter will introduce a little more emotional Celine as she confronts truths and exposes to others her built up emotions.

Until next time!


	12. Lothlórien

A/N Lothlórien here I come! Please review and let me know what you think! If anything doesn't make sense or sounds confusing, let me know! This is the longest chapter I have ever written! Enjoy!

Arya: Well here is another chapter! I'm glad you enjoy my story so much! Thank you for always reviewing!

Bluebearsweetie: Me too, Puggles was always so much fun to write!

Trich: I'm delighted that you like my story! I hope you like this chapter!

Greenleaf: Here is an extra long update! The romance won't really build into anything significant for awhile, so no need to worry about that haha!

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

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**Chapter 12**

Night had fallen and Celine and the Fellowship stood amongst the trees, just listening to the stillness of the night. The leader of the Lórien elves introduced himself as Haldir and Celine's spine stiffened once she heard his name. Though she didn't know why.

The Lórien elves guided them atop a platform in a large tree so they could rest without fear of the orcs prowling the grounds. Unfortunately to get to the top, they had to climb a ladder to the top, which proved to be a feat on its own. The platform was well constructed and even the floor held great detail and was a beautiful sight to look at. Celine would have taken the time to appreciate the glow that seemed to emit from the leaves of the neighboring trees, but the height they were at made her want to vomit.

Once reaching the top, the company turned their attention to Haldir, as he was the one who stood in their way of entering the great elven realm. Haldir recognized some of the company, especially the elf, as he knew Legolas was royalty from the elf kingdom of Mirkwood.

"_Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion_." Haldir bowed his head slightly and placed his hand over his heart as he greeted the Prince of Mirkwood.

Legolas returned the gesture. "_Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien_."

Haldir finally turned his attention to Aragorn and recognized the man. "_A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le amen_."

Aragorn bowed slightly with his hand over his heart. "Haldir."

Usually Celine would have been annoyed or miffed at those who spoke a different language that she didn't understand. But she was too tired to care; her legs ached from their long trek today and all she wanted to do was flop down on her butt. Though Celine was too tired to care, Gimli certainly did not like to be in the presence of elves when they spoke their tongue.

Gimli raised his voice in an almost angry manner. "So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand!"

Haldir turned his gaze to the dwarf and had a look on contempt on his face. Celine knew there was hatred between elves and dwarves; she did see the "Hobbit" before she came here. Smog- something like that- killed the dwarves and the elves ignored them? She wasn't an expert on those movies as they were so recent.

The blonde elf glowered down at the dwarf. "We have not had dealings with the dwarves, since the dark days."

Gimli seemed to bristle at that comment and he rebutted quite quickly. "And do you know what this Dwarf says to that? **Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!**"

Obviously what ever Gimli had said was something he should have kept to himself. Haldir's face darkened even further and Aragorn quickly spun around and slapped a hand of his shoulder.

"That," Aragorn spoke lowly. "was not so courteous!"

While Aragorn was scolding the dwarf, Haldir moved beside the ranger, to look at the company behind him. His gaze fell upon the hobbits, in particular, Sam and Frodo. The elf's eye paused on Frodo though and he seemed to stiffen slightly. Something was amiss with this hobbit; it made him uncomfortable, as darkness seemed to glow around him.

"You bring great evil with you," Haldir paused to look up at Aragorn as he deemed him the leader of his small company. "you can go no further!"

Everyone's gaze seemed to go back to Frodo, as they understood what Haldir was sensing. Frodo lowered his gaze to the ground as he felt like a burden among the company. It was due to him, the ring bearer, that misfortune had befallen them. He was preventing him and his companions from entering Lothlórien; he was the cause for the company's trek through the mines. His heart was heavy with grief as he realized that he truly was at fault for the company's misgivings.

As Haldir turned away from the group, Aragorn was not going to let the matter end. As the ranger walked after the elf, everyone soon dispersed to sit, or stand, somewhere along the platform. Celine stood still for a moment, not knowing whether to seclude herself from the group or seek to sit with someone. Everyone seemed have an air of coolness around them, not really seeking to speak with anyone.

Celine moved towards Frodo, as he seemed like the one who need companionship the most. She doubted she could offer any words of condolences to the hobbit, but perhaps she could relay some words to him that would ease the pain in his heart.

"May I?" Celine asked so quietly she didn't think Frodo would hear her. But he did and the hobbit nodded slightly so Celine moved to sit next to him. Frodo was leaning against the trunk of a tree, away from the edge of the platform, to which she was very thankful for.

Boromir sat not too far from the two of them. He noticed the haunted look in Frodo's eyes and could only assume what was troubling the hobbit. He understood that Frodo was very close to Gandalf and perhaps the hobbit had never experienced the loss of a companion.

"Gandalf's death was not in vain. Nor would he have you give up hope." Boromir said to the hobbit. Frodo looked up at the man but gave no reply. "You carry a heavy burden Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead." Boromir nodded to Celine and Frodo as he soon stood to walk away from them, looking like he wanted to discuss something with the other hobbits.

Frodo was quiet as he contemplated Boromir's words. He still grieved for Gandalf's loss and he doubted he would come to terms with his death any time soon. The thought of Gandalf dying never occurred to him, it seemed like an impossible feat for a wizard. Frodo should have prepared himself for the loss of all of his companions. He was foolish to think they would all survive the journey, he held a false hope. Why should he subject the others to aid him in this journey when it would only lead them to their death? Perhaps this was a journey that only he was meant to come on.

Celine had no idea what was going through the mind of the hobbit that sat next to her. What Boromir had said was true, but it would be hard for Frodo to suddenly accept the loss of Gandalf. The sudden misfortune had affected them all, surprisingly even Celine.

"Frodo," Celine spoke quietly and turned her head to look at Frodo. Frodo lifted his gaze from the ground and turned his cerulean eyes towards her green ones. "every story must experience tragedy in their pages before it gets to the happy ending."

This was the best explanation Celine could give the hobbit; she was a writer so she of course read hundreds of books. Every book she picked up she had to prepare herself for the worst as characters were slaughtered, lands were conquered, dreams were failed, she had read them all. She soon learned she had to build a wall around her heart and not get too attached to the characters as the next page could result in their death. It was the same with life too though, appreciate and cherish every moment you spend with your loved ones. You never know when it'll be the last.

Frodo was quiet for a moment, considering her words. "Can you promise me that there will be a happy ending?"

Celine said nothing, not sure how to speak her next words. She couldn't promise such a thing, what if something happened that wasn't meant to? Could it change the entire outcome? "What do you feel?"

Frodo turned his eyes away from hers, as he didn't know what to expect, or to feel. The two of them settled into a comfortable silence, not feeling the need to speak the answer to her question. Celine knew that there was a happy ending for the company, she couldn't remember how it ended, but she could see the smiling faces of the company.

While Celine and Frodo spoke quietly to one another, Aragorn argued with Haldir. The ranger was trying to convince the Lórien guard to let them pass into the elven city.

"_Boe ammen veriad lîn! Andelu i ven!_" Aragorn gestured to the ground beneath them with a frustrated look on his face.

"_É ananta graw'd ma dûr._" The elf replied coolly shifting his eyes quickly to the hobbit but then back to the ranger.

"_Merin le telim._" The ranger motioned to the land behind Haldir. "_Henio, aníron boe ammen i dulu lîn!_"

"_Gimb'd an minno Lothlórien di dúath! Vá!_" The elf replied harshly.

"_Hehta'd gwanna!_"

"I know not of what you carry and nor do I wish to learn!" The elf replied harshly, stepping even closer to the ranger. "You have come thus far but not until my lady speaks shall I let you make another step! My guards and I may trust you and Legolas, but we do not trust those among your company. You walk with strange men Aragorn. Especially the woman, she is unlike those I have ever seen. The air around her is heavy, something flickers in her eyes that I cannot understand."

"Our company is neither strange nor untrustworthy." The ranger replied evenly. "For we are all amongst friends. The man is Boromir, son of the steward of Gondor, Gimli son of Gloin is a dwarf from the Blue Mountains; the four hobbits are Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. The four of them hail from the Shire." The ranger paused hoping that would be enough to suffice the Lórien guard.

"Yet you have yet to introduce the woman." The elf searched Aragorn's features as if he were to find the answers he sought. "From where does she hail and what is her story that has lead her to travel thus far with your company?"

Aragorn did not want to lie to Haldir and nor would he have been successful. He was attempting to make peace with Haldir and not any more discomfort in their situation. "I cannot say much my friend, but it is not because I do not wish, but because I do not know. It is a long tale that even I cannot understand. But she is called Celine and only by accident did she stumble upon our company. She has traveled thus far with us because we do not wish to abandon her to death. She has become a friend of sorts amongst us."

"Your company travels across dangerous lands, why would she seek to stay with you? She should return to her home if she wishes not to meet her end."

"Aye, she will in time." Aragorn replied carefully. "She seeks council with the wisest of beings in Middle Earth, only then will she be able to return to her home."

"This tale is unnerving but I can see that you speak the truth." Haldir replied as he cast his gaze once more to the woman who could be seen conversing quietly with one of the hobbits. She looked weak to be blunt; she was small like that of a child, her face marred with dirt, and the sword that hung at her side looked foreign on her figure.

"Rest tonight," The marchwarden spoke finally returning his gaze to the ranger. "it is no mystery to us that you are weary. At least among the treetops you may rest without fear of the orcs that crawl in the shadows. At the next light, we shall have decided whether to grant you pass."

Aragorn placed is hand over his heart again and extended his thanks to the marchwarden. True that this night he and the company would not have to fear an attack from the ground. Moving away from Haldir, Aragorn made his way back to the company to reiterate his conversation with Haldir.

Celine listened carefully to Aragorn as he spoke quietly about the decision that was to be made the next morning. He urged them to get rest tonight, as none should feel the need to stand guard, for they were safe with the elven guards. The company nodded but said nothing in return. Gimli still looked peeved at the thought of staying the night among so many elvish folk. The hobbits drew close to one another, seeking comfort within their own race.

The young woman noticed everyone had tried to settle in for the night, all except for the Lórien guards. Celine felt slightly nervous around them, their faces were stoic and they only allowed their gaze to look upon the forest. No doubt searching for enemies that could have possibly entered their territory.

Celine was exhausted and wished nothing more than to rest. But even as she lay against the ground near her companions, with her arm as her pillow, she could not find rest. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the Balrog behind her lids.

Time passed and Celine tossed and turned, eventually sitting up slowly and looking around her sleeping companions. She did not see Legolas among the company, perhaps speaking to the elves or what not. The only sound that was made was the loud snoring of the dwarf who found sleep quite quickly.

She didn't really know what to do with herself. It was still dark but the elves had lit candles around the platform and surprisingly it cast quite a bit of light. Not too much to be seen, but enough so that no one would step of the platform in their blindness.

Raising herself to her feet, Celine stepped quietly around her sleeping companions and made her way nearer to the edge of the platform. Because it was so dark, Celine could not see the ground they were so high from, which was surprisingly very comforting.

Moving around the platform, Celine looked around to make sure she didn't accidently run into any Lórien guards. It would have been awkward trying to make conversation with those elves, they all looked like they had sticks up their butt.

Celine moved the other side of the platform, just looking out to the quiet forest and letting the faint wind blow through her loose locks. Her neck itched terribly as the bandage was not nearly soft enough like a Band-Aid was. Celine started to scratch as the side of the wound, but it did little to relieve her of the annoyance. Trying to find the edge of the bandage, Celine wanted to rip it off, just for a moment, to scratch and scratch.

"It would not be wise to loosen the bandage."

Her fingers froze from her search and turned around to see the marchwarden studying her. Being the elf that he was, Celine had not heard him approach. For all she knew he could have been standing there the whole time.

"It itches." Celine replied stupidly, not really knowing what to say to the elf.

The elf said nothing for a moment, just stood their watching her. Her hair was a dark brown and her features fair on her pale skin. The woman did not look to be from the land of horse lords, perhaps the realm of Gondor? But her manner of dress was like none of the mortal woman there. "From where do you hail?"

"Hail?" Celine parroted, sounding confused. "Um, my Middle Earth lingo is pretty small. I don't hail, the sky does that."

God she sounded like an idiot.

She needed sleep.

Haldir cocked an eyebrow, having no idea what the woman was saying. "Where do you call your home?" The elf rephrased his question, not knowing why the woman did not understand his plain speech before.

Celine formed an "O" with her mouth, understanding what he was asking. "I'm from Maine. Land of the Moose."

"I have not heard of this…. Land of Moose." The elf spoke slowly. He had studied many maps over his long life and never has he heard of such a land. There was a chance that it laid beyond the great sea, but he had never heard of someone come from another shore.

"Yeah, probably not." Celine grumbled and shrugged her shoulders. She knew Haldir wouldn't know where she was from; she was just being polite and answering his question. They two of them fell into an uncomfortable silence, which made Celine twitchy just staring silently at the warden.

The silence was starting to get to her, so before she could even think about her words, she blurted out; "You know, elves and dwarves aren't so different."

Haldir's face did not look like it could get any grimmer, but it certainly did. But before he could rebuke, Celine quickly tried to smooth out the situation. "What I mean is elves and dwarves must have something against handrails!" She rushed out while gesturing around the talon. "Moria had like, zero handrails! It's a safety hazard! People could fall off during the night!"

"Elves hold grace that no other beings have." Haldir replied slowly, unsure of what to make of the woman's speech. "We would not fall."

"Okay what about kids? What if they took a tumble over the edge?"

"There would be no cause for an elfling to be up in the talons."

"Hypothetically speaking, let's say there are children up here."

"No child would venture so deeply into the forest."

Never mind, this conversation will just be going in circles.

Celine sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingers. The tingling in her mind started again and continued to get worse the more she spoke to Haldir. Though the elf took this as a sign of fatigue and urged her to find rest.

"I would suggest you find rest like your companions." Haldir said nodding to the woman. "We leave at first light." He then swiftly turned around and walked back to his kin, leaving Celine even more confused than she was before.

What about this elf caused her to feel so uneasy? What role did he play in this story?

Though she knew it would easier to sleep this night because she was not nearly as afraid of being attacked by orcs while in the treetops. Moving back to her companions she quietly stepped around their slumbering forms until finding an adequate enough space for her to lay her head down for a few moments, hoping to no longer see the Balrog in the darkness.

It really did seem like a few moments because it felt like mere minutes until she opened her eyes and saw the sun once again up in the sky. Groaning, Celine sat up and twisted her neck a few times trying to get all the kinks out. The rest of the Fellowship was either awake or just rising like she was.

Placing her feet flat on the ground, Celine pushed herself into a standing position. Yawning quietly Celine tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She remembered that the company and herself were waiting for passage into Lórien. After a little more discussion with Aragorn, Haldir moved towards the rest of the company with a less than pleased expression on his face.

"You will follow me."

The Lórien elves were the first to descend the talon and the rest of the Fellowship followed. No one said much as the elven warriors led the group deeper into the forest. Though it was revealed to Celine why most of the other elves did not speak to them. They did not speak Common Tongue; they seldom even glanced in their direction to be honest.

Celine had hoped that the rest of the journey would only be a stone's throw away, but that was entirely not true. The forest was much large than she expected and it was unfortunately not a flat terrain.

Only Aragorn and Legolas spoke much to the other warrior elves, but it was never for prolonged periods of time. Eventually the entire company ceased their speech and took the time to admire the woodland. Even Celine, who was pretty much a hater of all thing nature, admired the leaves on the trees.

Though the time of peace had ended as Haldir suddenly halted and turned back around to face them. Celine looked around the area and was not impressed if this was the famed city of Lothlórien.

"You have entered Naith of Lórien or the Gore, as you would say. We allow no strangers to spy out the secrets of the Naith. Few indeed are permitted even to set foot there." Haldir spoke looking at each one of us in the company before last settling on the dwarf. "As was agreed, I shall here blindfold the eyes of Gimli the Dwarf. The others may walk free for a while, until we come nearer to our dwellings, down in Egladil, in the Angle between the waters."

Well that's not very nice.

This was obviously not going to fly with Gimli. The dwarf bristled at what the elf was suggesting and vehemently protested. "The agreement was made without my consent, I will not walk blindfold, like a beggar or a prisoner. And I am no spy. My folk have never had dealings with any of the servants of the Enemy. Neither have we done harm to the Elves. I am no more likely to betray you than Legolas, or any other of my companions."

"I do not doubt you," The marchwarden replied. "Yet this is our law. I am not the master of the law, and cannot set it aside. I have done much in letting you set foot over Celebrant."

"I will go forward free, or I will go back and seek my own land, where I am known to be true of word."

Haldir was growing more annoyed at the dwarf's stubbornness. "You cannot go back. Now you have come thus far, you must be brought before the Lord and the Lady. They shall judge you, to hold you or to give you leave, as they will."

Gimli growled and pulled out one of his smaller axes that were around his belt. The elves reacted immediately by nocking their arrows and drawing them back swiftly. Celine jumped slightly at the sudden turn of events, was she really about to die over something so stupid?!

"A plague on Dwarves and their stiff necks!" Legolas suddenly cried as he watched his companion draw his axe. This was a fight that the dwarf could not win; he was just prolonging the inevitable.

Aragorn immediately stepped forth and tried to ease the situation. "Come! If I am still to lead this company then let us all do as I bid! It is unfair for only Gimli to walk blind, so in turn we shall all be blindfolded, including Legolas!"

Surprisingly the dwarf gave a bark of laughter. "A merry troop of fools we shall look! Will Haldir lead us all on a string, like many blind beggars with one dog? But I will be content, if only Legolas here shares my blindness."

"Oh my God these dwarves and elves will be the death of me!" Celine grumbled to herself throwing her hands in the air. The hobbits gave her a confused look before turning back to continue assessing the situation.

"I am an elf and a kinsman here!" Legolas replied harshly, glaring down at the dwarf.

"Now let us cry: 'a plague on the stiff necks of Elves!" Aragorn spoke gesturing to the elf. "It is fair for all of us to be treated the same. Haldir, come, you may blind us."

Fantastic.

Celine groaned as she noticed blindfolds were produced from the Lórien guards. She had enough of a hard time walking without tripping with her eyes open. This was going to be a complete disaster with her eyes closed.

Haldir passed the blindfolds to his kin and saved one for himself. He stepped up to the woman who held a look of annoyance. "May I?" Haldir gestured towards the woman with the blindfold.

"Knock yourself out." Celine responded with a shrug of her shoulders. Haldir, not understanding the why she would think he would wish to "knock himself out", simply moved behind her and placed the piece of cloth over her closed eyes. Tying it securely behind her head, he stepped away and gestured for one of his brothers to guide her.

"I shall claim full amends for every fall and stubbed toe, if you do not lead us well." Celine heard Gimli's voice not to far off. Though she thought the dwarf should be more concerned with the prospect of the elves leading him over a cliff or something.

Think outside the box Gimli.

"Be at ease Master dwarf, my kin and I will lead you well." Haldir replied. The elves guided everyone in the company for the rest of the day. Celine had assumed that the sun had begun to set as she could no longer feel the intense heat of the rays upon her skin. She had no idea how long she and the company had been walking in their blindness, but she assumed a few hours at least.

Though her guide suddenly stopped and the lightest of footsteps seemed to approach them. Celine couldn't tell if were the Lórien that were them, or new company. Hushed voices were exchanged between elves before Haldir's voice could be heard in speech she could understand.

"Lórien guards have approached my friends." Haldir said to them. "They bring me a message from the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim. You are all to walk free, even the dwarf Gimli. It seems that the Lady knows who and what is each member of your Company."

The cloth around her eyes was untied and Celine slowly opened her eyes, never having her eyes closed for such a long period of time. Thankfully the sun wasn't shining too brightly or she might have snatched the blindfold back.

Removing the cloth from the dwarf's eyes, the marchwarden bowed slightly before him. "Look on us now with friendly eyes! Look and be glad, for you are the first dwarf to behold the trees of the Naith of Lórien since Durin's Day!"

Durin's Day! Celine's ears perked up at that interesting piece of information. At least she had a clue about what that was! She had seen The Hobbit trilogy over the years, the most recent piece of Middle Earth that she had seen. The prequel would not help her in this situation though.

Though she felt better off facing an orc or two, rather than a giant dragon.

Haldir continued to lead the company and soon they had come upon the edge of Lothlórien. Gesturing to the expanse of tall trees, the warrior spoke with great pride of his city. The only real smile to grace his face was when he spoke of Lothlórien.

Evening began by the time the Fellowship had entered the elven city. Entering the realm, Celine's jaw dropped the furthest it had in her entire life. The city was astounding! Lights of lamps seemed to glow blue with ember and were placed all around the trees. The trees on the ground had trunks so large Celine couldn't look around and see the other side.

Stairs were woven around the tree's and the woman could see elves slowing ascending or descending them. They all seemed to faintly glow in the darkness, whether from being an elf or possibly from the moonlight. The further she walked, the more her eyes took in.

Celine was sure if she were barefoot, the grass would have felt like soft cashmere across her skin. The grass was a beautiful emerald green and looked healthier than even grass on a golf course. As Haldir led the company to a set of stairs, she dragged her fingers across the wood of the architecture, surprised to feel how smooth it was.

The stairs were many, but Celine was too wrapped in absorbing her surroundings that she paid no mind to the aching in her feet. It seems like she wasn't the only one dazed by the sights in Lothlórien, everyone, including the elf, were trying to let their eyes soak in the sights.

Soon the last of the stairs were reached and Haldir led them across a flat platform. He moved to the side as he left the Fellowship to stand in the center. Only when a shimmering light flickered in the corners of their eyes, did the Fellowship look up the steps.

Two figures that poised with such grace that would put a ballerina to shame, began to slowly descend the steps. The male had blonde hair the length of Legolas' and held a questioning look on his face. He was most fair and was dressed in robes that showed his high status. Most likely the male elf was Lord Celeborn of Lothlórien. But the elf was of no comparison to the she-elf. She could only be the one that Haldir spoke so highly of, the Lady of Light, Galadriel.

If the elves that Celine saw glistened like stars, then she was the moon. A light so pure and bright that it was truly a sight to behold. Long golden waves fell to her back and waist with a silver circlet atop her head. Her white gown glowed nearly as bright as the lady's skin, but her beauty far surpassed that of her dress. The sight in front of Celine's eyes was bright but she could not turn her gaze from the two elves.

Once they had reached the final steps, the male elf began to speak. "The Enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Nine that are here yet not all those who were set out from Rivendell." The elf said glancing at Celine. "Tell me where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar."

At the mention of Gandalf, a sudden solemn mood descended once again around the Fellowship. For the pain was still too near to even speak of their lost friend. But the elven woman in front of them looked to Aragorn, and a sudden understanding flooded her eyes.

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into Shadow." Her voice was soft like chimes in the wind. Her expression looked aghast and shocked at her sudden words, as if she had not yet understood what she had spoken.

"He was taken by both Shadow and flame. A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria." Legolas was the first to find his voice, and spoke the sorrow that ached in their hearts.

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose." Galadriel spoke, but she soon turned her attention to the dwarf who looked ashamed and mournful. "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart, Gimli, son of Glóin. For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands love is now mingled with grief." At her last words, she turned her now penetrating gaze onto the man of Gondor. If Celine had turned around, she would have seen turmoil in Boromir's eyes as he cast away his eyes from the elven lady in front of him.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost." Celeborn relented his fear, as he no longer believed that the quest could be fulfilled.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." Galadriel spoke while looking gravely at the group in front of her. Celine looked towards the lady as she spoke, and even though her mouth moved while she spoke, the words that filled Celine's mind were not.

"_Welcome to __Lothlórien, Lady Celine._" Galadriel's voiced echoed harshly in her mind. "_One with knowledge quite deadly should she act upon it._" Celine reeled back slightly as the lady's voice turned more dark and powerful.

Galadriel continued to speak though, and allowed a smile to grace her face when she looked to Sam. "Yet hope remains while the company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace." She gestured towards the land beneath the trees.

"It is most appreciated my lady." Aragorn thanked the woman in front of her and bowed slightly with a hand upon his breast. An elven man stepped onto the platform and nodded for the company to follow him. As everyone, even Celine, moved forward, Galadriel's voice stopped them.

"Perhaps the lady would like to bathe separately from her company." Celine's cheeks flooded with color as she stepped away from the Fellowship. Aragorn nodded for her to follow the lady, but finally had to resort to giving her a light shove as Celine's feet were planted to the floor. Galadriel held out her hand to take and shooting one last glance over her shoulder, Celine stepped towards Galadriel.

Feeling it rude to refuse the hand of the lady, Celine placed her palm in hers and prayed that they weren't clammy. While Celine also expected Galadriel to release her hand soon, she didn't. She held her hand like a mother would a child as she guided her around the bend of the platform. What made the whole matter worse, was the fact that Celine's height portrayed her as such. Now that she was no longer towering over the midget hobbits, the tall and willowy elves made her feel like a hobbit.

"In our eyes, you are but a child. So young having seen so few years, yet already thrust into the turmoil of the world." Galadriel spoke though she did not glance at the young woman. Celine stiffened slightly as the lady had heard the words spoken in her head.

Lady Galadriel led her to another platform where she released her hand and gestured to two nearby elleths. "They shall held you tonight. Undeniably you are tired and in need of rest. Go now and rest, you shall see your companions soon. The night is young." She nodded towards the shorter woman and moved away, leaving Celine to awkwardly stand there in front of the two elves.

The two elleths said nothing as they beckoned the mortal woman to follow them further down the talon. Celine followed them into a room that held a smooth, stoned, bath that was filled to the rim. There was a light layer of steam emerging from the waters and Celine could have shed tears of joy. A bath was something she really wanted.

The elleths guided her to a small chair that was in another part of the room and gestured for her to sit. One of the elleths moved behind her and began the task of untangling her mane while the other knelt down to free her feet from her shoes.

"Ah, no it's fine." Celine started. "I can do it myself, thank you though." Even as she spoke, the elleths did not cease their task. It was as if they didn't even hear her, or maybe they didn't understand her. The elleth untied one of her boots and began to pry the shoe off Celine's foot, but stopped as a cry of pain came from the young woman.

Celine felt like her foot was somehow glued to her heel and even the smallest movement to remove the boot felt like a layer of skin was being ripped off her body. The elleth stopped her movement and gave Celine a confused expression.

"What ails you my lady?" The elleth asked.

So they did understand her, they just chose to ignore her.

"It-uh," Celine fumbled with her words. "when you tried to remove my shoe it felt like you were pulling off a layer of skin." Wow, that was a really gross explanation.

"Where my lady?"

Celine pointed towards her heel and the elleth nodded, as she understood what had most likely happened. "I assume, my lady, that your footwear has scoured your skin raw. Perhaps the blood has caked your skin and boot, thus clinging the material to your heel."

Long story short: a blister, a really, really bad blister.

"Your boots must be removed if we are to tend to your wounds." The she-elf spoke as she began to remove her boot once more, but at a gentler manner. "Bear with the pain my lady." Celine bit down on her tongue slightly trying not to cry out as her boot was finally removed. Glancing down at her heel, she suddenly wished she hadn't.

Her heel was an awful sight to see, dry, crusty blood was all around her heel and some skin was hanging off the back. She recalled that her heels had been hurting when she and the Fellowship began their descent down the mountain. The adrenaline she felt while in Moria may have swayed her brain away from her heels.

The other elleth who had focused on her hair, finished her task but then moved to her neck to unwrap the bandage.

The elleths urged her to disrobe but Celine was much too embarrassment to do so in front of them. Finally the two relented and said they would be back within the hour to bring a fresh set of clothes and bandages to wrap her feet. Pointing to different glasses and vials that held weird looking concoctions, the elleths identified which were soaps for her hair, body, and a gentle one for her face.

Finally left alone and in piece, Celine stripped off her filthy, worn sweater and her skinny jeans. They were both disgusting to look at and out of curiosity; Celine lifted it up to take a whiff and immediately reeled back.

How to Fellowship managed to stand within her vicinity without gagging was beyond her.

Wincing as she padded to the bath, Celine's fingertips brushed the surface to check the temperature. Finding it was adequate warmth; Celine lowered herself into the water. She was relieved to scrub off the grime, red and black blood, and sweat that was layered on her skin. Her heels ached at the first contact with the water, but after a few minutes it settled into an annoying tingling feeling.

Celine layered herself with the soaps the elleths spoke of, but couldn't remember which ones were the which. Not caring since they are were technically soap, Celine sniffed each and every one and picked out her favorite scent to layer her hair and body in.

The young woman would have spent the rest of the evening in the bath, but the knock on the door alerted her to the fact that the two ladies had returned. Grabbing a white fluffy cloth, Celine quickly wrapped it around herself as the two elleths stepped through the door. One of them was carrying a bundle of silky white cloth, while the other held a basket with bandages and more mysterious liquids.

Moving to a seat nearby, Celine lowered herself onto the cushion with the towel wrapped around her. She did not want to flash these beautiful women in front of her. The elf with the basket in her hand lowered herself down to Celine's feet and began smoothing some sticky substance on them before wrapping them with a clean white cloth.

"My lady, a gown has been provided for you to wear. It will perhaps be a bit too long, but I do not believe it will hinder your movement." Celine watched as the other elleth unrolled the white fabric in her hand and revealed a long gown. It was quite beautiful; it had long billowing sleeves and a modest neckline. But it was also simple with very few gems stitched into the fabric.

After thanking the two of them for everything, Celine ushered them out the door so she could get dressed by herself. Which was actually an awful idea.

Celine always wore gowns with zippers, but of course Middle Earth didn't have that. They had strings, long strings that were supposed to be tied somehow in the back.

She could barely manage to tie her shoelaces, back home. Embarrassing, but true.

Trying to contort her torso around to see where the strings were supposed to loop through, Celine gave up and just tied it to the best of her ability. Which consisted oh a crude knot and a lot of leftover string.

Dropping her arms to her sides, the woman noticed that her sleeves were not just a little long, they were way too long. The whole dress was way to long! While other elleths had the dress graze over the tops of their feet, Celine's pooled down at hers! The sleeves dropped down all the way to her fingertips and Celine wanted to rip both sleeves off in her annoyance.

Overall, the dress was stunning and belonged in the Palace of Versailles dress collection. Celine walked a few steps and shifted her weight uncomfortably. She had been so used to wearing her skinny jeans for the past few days that everything below her waist felt…. breezy.

Opening the door, Celine poked her head out and looked for the familiar to elleths and found that they were no longer within her vicinity. She had not bee provided with any shoes of any kind so Celine paid extra attention to where she put her foot down. Not only was she worried about stepping in anything but also Celine did not want to get any splinters.

Moving down the tall platform, Celine scrunched up a majority of her dress in her hands so she could see her feet. Descending the stairs took longer than she anticipated, but that could have been because she was walking at a leisurely pace. When she ascended the steps, she and the Fellowship did not spend too much time gazing at the forest surrounding them. Now that Celine was by herself, she walked at a much slower pace.

All the lights had been lit and they cast light in all directions. Many elves were walking around the trees and up in the platforms. One thing Celine did notice while observing these serene figures was that they seldom spoke to one another. They were by no means rude, but they seemed to be lost in their own little world.

The elves that she did pass offered her kind smiles and nods in her direction. A light stain spread across her cheeks as a few elleths smiled and giggled slightly at her. Once reaching the bottom of the great staircase, Celine spent her time asking every elf she could where her companions had last been spotted.

After receiving a final set of directions, Celine's feet pitter-pattered across the soft grass towards a clearing. The grass was as soft as she imagined, the ground held no lumps and her feet felt comfortable as she lowered them to the ground.

She heard voices as she drew clearer to clearing and stepping around a tree she was greeted by the sight of her companions. They all seemed to be much cleaner and had managed to change out of their weary clothes. Aragorn was speaking lowly with the dwarf and man and the hobbits were huddled together on the ground, looking to be feasting on an assortment of fruit.

A small smiled spread across her face as she moved towards the group. Aragorn, though, noticed movement in the corner of his eye and turned to see the young woman walking towards them. She was dressed in a long white gown, with quite a bit of the cloth bunched in her hands, with her hair hanging long down her back. The woman looked much better and the wound around her neck had been dressed once again. Her skin was clear of grime and she looked to be in a much better mental state than before.

The rest of the Fellowship turned to follow Aragorn's gaze and saw Celine walk towards them. The dwarf laughed loudly and slapped his knee a few times. "There seems to be a lady beneath all the dirt and grime!"

Celine's smile broadened and she shook her head. "Now Gimli, there is no need to be surprised at the sudden reveal of your gender. The Fellowship and I knew you were a pretty lady even with all the dirt over your face."

All was quiet before Aragorn's laughed boomed around the clearing as the dwarf huffed and tried to look annoyed, but then mirth filled his features as he joined in the ranger's laughter. The man of Gondor shook his head lightly with a faint smile on his face while the hobbits snickered quietly.

Moving closer to them Aragorn furrowed his brows as he noticed the dress was managing to slip from her shoulders a few times. At the turn of her body, the ranger noticed the crude tying of the strings and shook his head. The lady obviously did not understand how the gown was to be tied, but he kept his mouth shut.

Time passed and Celine mostly sat with the hobbits and munched on their food. She'd steal a bit from Merry, until he protested too much, so she switched to swiping from Pippin. She went around the group of hobbits and made them laugh as she tried to swipe more food from Pippin's plate as he leaned his plate away from her outstretched arm.

"You're eating all the strawberries!" Pippin whined moving his plate a little ways away.

"Its because they are my favorite." Celine replied and lunged quickly to swipe another berry from his plate.

"Merry!" Pippin turned to his cousin for help but Merry just furthered shielded his plate from Celine's view. The young woman grinned as she bit into the juicy red berry; it was just the right amount of sweetness with a twang of tart. It was like no other strawberry she had tasted before. It seems the elves were truly the best at everything.

Not that she would admit that.

Celine lifted her head and cast her gaze around the clearing, looking for the elf. She had honestly forgotten about him and failed to notice his lack of presence. Legolas was nowhere to be seen, so she asked the hobbits where he was.

"I know not." Frodo answered shaking his head. "I fathom he looked to seek solace. Perhaps being within the borders of his kind he is still unnerved."

Celine nodded, acknowledging what the ring bearer had said. She knew she had to apologize to him and explain why she acted like such a bitch before. Bunching up her dress in her hand, Celine said farewell to the hobbits and told Pippin if his strawberries were still on his plate when she got back, she'd gobble them all up.

Pippin immediately began stuffing his face with the berries and only ceased for a moment when he choked a bit on his food. Celine turned away in time to see Merry slapping his cousin heavily on his back, trying to dislodge the food. Shaking her head and laughing slightly, Celine moved out of the clearing and down a large grassy path that lay to the left.

She had ducked behind trees and moved quietly across the grassy earth, looking for any sign of Legolas. She should have realized that Lothlórien was a huge elven kingdom; she really had no chance of finding one lone elf in the sea of others.

A wisp of milky white out of the corner of her eye drew her to a figure moving gracefully over the earth. The figure had her long, wavy, blonde hair flowing gently down her back and seemed to move like river currents in the wind. Realizing that the woman Celine was staring at was Lady Galadriel, she moved to follow her.

Celine was itching to ask her about any way she could return to her home. Lady Galadriel was the wisest of the elves; with knowledge so great she was loved and feared by many. If she were to ask the lady how to get home, surely Galadriel could provide her with an answer.

Celine wasn't truly thinking about her movement, it was as if her body urged her to follow the gleaming elf. The lady's movements were almost mesmerizing and Celine drew nearer and nearer to the tall elven lady. Lady Galadriel gave no indication that she knew Celine was following her, but the human woman had no doubts that she could hear her soft footfalls behind her.

Upon stepping around the bend, Celine's ceased there movement and she watched as Galadriel stepped towards a silvery fountain that dispensed the purest looking water that she had ever laid eyes on. Elven statues, carved in great detail, surrounded the open land. Their palms were raised in greeting against their chests. Their features looked at peace as they gazed in scattered directions.

Descending the stone steps, Celine watched as Galadriel took a nearby silver pitcher and lowered into the crystalline waters. The radiant woman turned to look at Celine as she descended from the last step. Gazing upon her face for the second time that night, Celine noticed that her expression was void of any joy that it may have previously showed upon their original greeting.

Lady Galadriel was neither cold nor warm, her face seemed impassive, looking to be studying the young mortal woman in front of her. "Would you care to see?" Galadriel watched Celine with the gaze of a hawk.

"See what?" Celine was unsure of what the lady meant.

"Oh, I think you know." She gestured to the large basin that sat in the middle of the pedestal. Celine's mind began to tingle, but neither pictures nor scenes flashed before her eyes.

Galadriel stepped towards the mirror and slowly tilted the pitcher towards the basin and water began to glide across the metal and fell into the basin.

"It… is your mirror." Words tumbled out of Celine's lips, but not of her own accord. Her memory was foggy, but the basin seemed familiar. "What shall I see?"

Galadriel gave a weak smile but it soon disappeared as quickly as it came. "Even the wisest cannot tell for the mirror shows many things...things that were…things that are...and some things that have not yet come to pass." The lady finished pouring in the water and stepped back. She said nothing else as she watched the young mortal woman take a hesitant step towards the basin. Galadriel would leave it up to the woman to decide her fate, whether she would see anything or not was beyond her. Only if the mortal woman looked into the mirror would her fate be presented in her elven eyes.

"If I look," Celine licked her lips before continuing. "could you tell me how I can return home?"

"I know not of your coming to our realm, nor have I the knowledge of returning you. I am wise as I have seen many things in my time, but your coming here is a cloud of mystery for me. I offer you no deal, you must decide upon your own accord whether to look."

Celine was hesitant to look into the mirror, what she would see could be a range of possibilities. Or, perhaps she would see nothing. But she was curious nonetheless, what if this was her to find a way home? If this was her only chance at knowing what was going to get her home, she was going to take it!

Stepping up to the mirror, Celine only needed to ascend one step before she found herself towering over the shallow water. Glancing once more at Galadriel, she followed the elven lady's eyes back to the basin.

The water was clear; Celine could make out the reflections of the trees and leaves in the water. Soon a rippling began in the center of the water and moved outwards like small waves in the ocean. A blurry image appeared in the center and Celine watched it turn into a swirl of darkness. It was as if ink had been spilled into the waters as black veins spread throughout the basin, turning everything the shade of night. She saw an image of fire and could hear a deafening roar in her ears. There was no mistaking that sound, she saw the nightmarish creature emerge from the flames and a lone figure raise their staff above his head. The image dispersed quickly before Celine could rewatch the tragic fall of her companion.

The rippling waters changed to show a forest with tall trees overhead. The forest was littered in gold, red, and yellow leaves that looked to be crushed under a heavy weight. Suddenly a flash of dark brown darted across the scene and made its way towards a man kneeling to the ground. The figure let out an agonizing scream that Celine could not hear but as the figure raised their head, Celine saw that she was looking at herself. A much more weary, bloodied, and filthy self.

The image swished away before Celine could truly understand what had been happening. Soon she saw herself again, but Celine watched as her figure in the water cautiously lifted up the edge of her shirt, as if afraid what was to be seen underneath. But as Celine watched the figure, she inhaled in shock as she saw her skin below the shirt looked faded. Almost as if it ceased to exist.

The portion of her body that looked to be fading was no larger than the size of an orange. The figure in the mirror hesitantly ran her fingers over the skin, but her fingers went partially through it, as if she were made of air. The skin was translucent looking, but it wasn't as if she could see her organs inside her stomach, no, her skin was so clear she could make out a portion of the stone floor behind her. It was like clear water in which you could make out the rocky bottom beneath the liquid.

The scene was replaced once again as another vision of herself was standing atop a large, white, wall with what looked to be a dying tree behind her. Her face held a look of anguish as she furiously blinked back tears. Raising her arm, she pushed aside her sleeve to see the skin of her forearm reflected that of her stomach.

One last vision showed Celine and a tall figure, clad in colors of the earth, standing close to each other. Far closer than socially acceptable. The taller figure slowly leaned down to Celine, who raised herself to meet him, but before Celine could watch the rest, a sudden invasion of darkness unleashed itself from beneath the water. Fire seemed to lick at the edges of the basin and a terrible screeching sound scratched at her eardrums. A fiery eye opened to stare straight into Celine's pupils, whispered words in a foul tongue. At first she couldn't understand it, but then the words morphed into a language she could understand. Still just as foul and dark, the voice mauled her eardrums. **"The Seer from another time! You are a corpse on moving feet! What chance of life do you see for yourself? I see death…fire…and ruin!"**

Terrified and shocked, it took at her strength to wretch herself away from the mirror. Stepping back so quickly, Celine managed to step on her dress and fall to the earth in a heap of white. Her brow had a light sheet of sweat on it and yet she felt so cold. Like a bucket of ice had been dropped on her. Moving at an achingly slow pace, Celine pulled herself up back into a standing position, all the while Lady Galadriel watched her with keen eyes.

Celine's hands shook as she fisted them tightly in the folds of her dress. Looking up at the lady, she tried to voice her questions, but her voice seemed to be lost.

"I know what it is you saw." Galadriel spoke still looking, almost menacingly at the mortal woman.

Finally finding her voice, Celine looked up at the elven woman. "I am fading." It wasn't a question of "if", she saw what was to be fall her. But what did it mean? Would she just fade out of existence? Would she ever make it home? Was this the death she was subjected to?

"Yes," Galadriel did not deny Celine's claim. "each step the Fellowship takes, it will lead them closer to Mordor. The fate of the Ring, whether we win or die, is growing nearer to the dark land. If we come out victorious, you will have ceased to exist in this land. If not…I know not what shall happen."

"I will continue to fade as I go on?"

"You were never apart of this realm, your existence here is only temporary. For you have no place in this story."

While Celine should have been offended by the woman's words, she was surprisingly comforted. "Then, I shall fade into nothing in this realm. Perhaps then I can return to my world?"

Galadriel looked slightly down at the hopeful mortal. "Indeed."

A smile spread across her features at the lady's news. "Then this is good! I can return home!"

"Lest death should befall you."

Celine's smile immediately dropped at Galadriel's words. Not giving a chance for the mortal to rebuke, the elf continued. "The enemy knows of your existence, and the Eye has seen you in your dreams. Yes, I know of your dreams little one. You sometimes dream of things to come, or have passed. But they are fragments of your memory, never truly complete until the time has come and gone."

"Then what use is my memory if I cannot even help. I hate the feeling of not knowing, but then at the same time I do know! I-I get these flashbacks when the event is occurring! It makes me feel like absolute shit!" Celine fisted her hands in her hair as she became slightly hysterical. "I want to help the Fellowship, I really do. But the only way I can do that is if I lead them in the right direction! I'm no sword fighter! I don't have any skills of survival what so ever! My path was to save the Fellowship! I'm sure of it! I could not save Gandalf though! It was because I knew nothing! Why can't I remember everything like I used to?! Why take my mind and shake it around so everything is jumbled?!" Celine threw question after question at Galadriel, whom just stood there and watched as the woman began to break down.

"There is never a true answer when one questions the path that has been set before them. You must pick up the broken pieces of your path and learn to build a new one." The lady spoke softly.

"I don't want a new one!" Celine cried. "I want my old one back!"

"You may wish for it all you like, but it will not happen. Our story shall play out as it was meant to, whatever path we head we shall take with sure steps. Our fate was never meant to be changed."

Celine had tried her hardest not to let the tears drops from her eyes, but she couldn't stop then. She began to cry, she cried for herself being wretched away from her home and thrown into a malevolent tale. She cried because she had endured so much over the past few days. She cried because the elderly man, whom she had berated in her home, lay dead in the depths of Moria. She cried for the Fellowship and the path they had to take. But most of all, she cried because she could do nothing to change the fate of their course.

Lady Galadriel stepped near to the sobbing woman and placed her hand on her bent head. "You have often portrayed an icy exterior, but truly you are warm on the inside. I believe your façade is breaking, slowly, piece by piece. I have no doubts you will grow as you continue on with the Fellowship, as there is no future for you here. So many lessons will be taught, none of which shall be easy. Raise your head, you are among friends here. If you fall, they will undoubtedly raise you back on your feet." Galadriel spoke as she took the weeping woman's chin and raised it to her eye level. "I believe the Valar has given you a gift by bringing you here. If you should accept their gift, I believe you shall sing in joy."

Lady Galadriel gave her one more smile, though this one held much more warmth than her ones previously. Placing a soft kiss on the woman's forehead, she removed her hand and moved away from the mortal woman and the clearing.

Wiping her eyes and running nose, Celine slapped her cheeks a few times, trying to cease her quivering. The Lady had spoken with so many riddles, most of which she did not understand. That Valar had NOT given her a gift! If these so called "Valar" did exist, why force her to forget everything?! This miserable story had so much death, why not try to save those lives who did not needlessly need to be thrown away.

Celine did not manage to make it very far before she dropped to a nearby stone step and buried her head in her raised knees. Never had she ever felt such a feeling of being so incompetent in her life. She wanted to go home, she wanted to go back to the ignorant life she led before.

But first, she would have to finish this story, and she'll be damned if she follows it willingly.

* * *

~ ~ Translations ~ ~

_Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion._ – Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil.

_Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien._ – Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lórien.

_A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le amen._ – Oh, Aragorn of the Dúnedain, you are known to us.

**Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!** – I spit upon your grave!

_Boe ammen veriad lîn! Andelu i ven_ – We need your protection. The road is fell!

_É ananta graw'd ma dûr._ – Indeed, but yet you carry something dark/evil.

_Merin le telim._ – I wish that we may come with you.

_Henio, aníron boe ammen i dulu lîn!_ – Please, understand, we need your support!

_Gimb'd an minno Lothlórien di dúath! Vá! – _You seek to enter Lothlórien with darkness/shadow! I will not/allow it!

_Hehta'd gwanna!_ – You forsake us to death/die!

* * *

A/N Well there you have it! An extra long chapter filled with bundles of information. So I totally understand if some of the plot may be confusing, but I really did try to explain it to the best of my ability. This is always how I imagined my OC to leave Middle Earth…or will she ;D Who knows, the story is still in the beginning stages!

No Legolas in this chapter I know, disappointing. But he wasn't really needed at this point. I know last chapter I mentioned an emotional experience for Celine and the Fellowship, and I guarantee there will be a bit more in the next chapter! I just needed to split this one because it was getting so long.

Let me know what you think in a review and I'll talk to you in the next chapter.


	13. Swordplay is not for the Weak

A/N I'm glad to see that everyone enjoyed my last chapter and nothing was too confusing! Here is another chapter in Lothlórien and Legolas shall appear in this one also. There is going to be some Legolas/Celine bonding, but nothing anywhere near romantic. Like I said, acquaintances first, friends second, best friend's third, romantic couple last. I say I will be transitioning them to the second stage.

I'm not feeling 100% on this chapter as I feel sort of all over the place with this. But I wanted to publish this chapter as soon as I was able because it has been so long! Apologies for that!

Arya: Thank you! I'm very glad you still find moments of this story humorous!

Evangeline Pond: Glad you enjoyed it!

autistic cupcake: I'm glad to see you thought it was getting better. I hope you like this chapter!

Bluebearsweetie: I agree! I'm still feeling the BotFA too, I am sad to see that the Hobbit trilogy has ended.

Charlottees: Thank you so much for taking the time to review! I appreciate it! You are so sweet! My aim for this story is create someone who would realistically react to situations, and I'm glad that you appreciate her flaws I hope you like this chapter and thanks again!

Guest: I'm glad you like it! I hope you like this chapter!

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Celine didn't move for a long while, her tears had subsided some time ago as she could only produce so much moisture. She sat upon the stoop the entire time, watching the flickering lights from the lanterns scatter around her surroundings. Celine tried to steer her mind way from what she had seen in Galadriel's mirror, but everything was playing over, and over again.

Rubbing her eyes, Celine patted her cheeks to try to make herself look more presentable before she made her way back to the company. If she looked into a mirror, Celine would have seen red eyes and a slightly puffy face. Her dress was not as wrinkled as she expected, as she had been scrunching up the material in her hands, then dropping it, then scrunching it up again.

She didn't know how she would react to the Fellowship, guilt swelled within her gut about the lack of support and knowledge she had presented in Moria. The Fellowship knew that she had the basic concept of the story down, but none of them sought her out, even after Gandalf had fallen. Did they not see that she had held her tongue? Or did they secretly know that she couldn't remember any of it until it happened?

"Screw this shit." Celine whispered harshly to herself while tussling her locks through her fingers. Her fingers snagged several tangles as she had furiously ran them through her hair multiple times. Glancing up and to the left, the path that lead her back to the Fellowship was staring blankly back at her. She couldn't avoid them forever, and she should just grow up and face them.

Slapping her cheeks once more, Celine straightened herself to her feet and bent down to bundle up a majority of her dress in her hands. Once being able to see her feet again, she squared her back and tried to walk confidently back to the encampment of the Fellowship. Though Celine tried to portray a confident exterior, Lady Galadriel was right, her façade was slowly crumbling. And that terrified her more than anything.

While Celine had been trying to gather herself together, Galadriel glided away from the scene. She stepped softly on the grass beneath her toes and made her way up to another talon where she knew someone would be waiting.

Reaching the top, a lone, male figure turned around hesitantly and placed a hand upon his breast. "My Lady." He bowed slightly as a gesture of respect before her straightened himself to gaze back at the elven woman.

"Estel." Galadriel smiled warmly at the ranger that stood in front of her. No longer did he physically look wearied, but his eyes told another story. His grey eyes swam with much turmoil, sadness, fatigue, and emotions that ranged far and in between.

"I cannot express how gladdened we are for you to allow the Fellowship passage into Lothlórien." Aragorn straightened himself up and looked at the glowing lady in front of him. "Even with the darkness we carry."

"Soon all the lands shall have a shadow fall upon them." Galadriel spoke. She walked towards the edge of the talon where a pew had been carved out of the side of a tree trunk before she lowered herself to sit. The ranger followed her and hesitated slightly before lowering himself next to her.

"We shall not let the shadow cry out in victory my lady." Aragorn spoke looking off into the clearing.

Galadriel said nothing at first as she let her eyes sweep over her beloved home to both herself and countless elves. "Indeed, but it is not the shadow that I wished to speak to you on this night. Bewildered I am about the mortal woman that travels in your company; she and I have spoken as of late. I know what it is you wish to say Estel, but I must tell you first that her story does not end here."

Aragorn sighed ever so slightly because he knew the matter would not be so simple. Long had he hoped, since he set foot in Lothlórien, that Celine might reside here until she had found her passage home.

"_Ennas muntaië dínan hí_." Galadriel raised Aragorn's head with the tips of her slender fingers to meet her gaze. "_Û __egor dangweth surië henia sí în __Loth__lórien_."

"_Heruinen, ihloa dín dartha brona_." Aragorn spoke looking at the elven woman. "_Auth û dor an pen nimp gwein, dín tû medui. Gaerië_."

Shaking her head slightly, sending her golden waves to caress her back, the Lady of Light knew that there was more to come from their tale with the addition of another. "_Û lá tû en rhond cend, ono ni rhond hûn._"

Aragorn said nothing, as he knew in his heart that there would be no other way for him to persuade the lady. Furthermore, he knew that Galadriel, Lady of Light, was wise beyond measure. The words she spoke were undoubtedly true; the lady also must have understood the woman's curious tale, her land, and their story that was held in her fingertips.

"It is as you say my lady." Aragorn nodded. "She shall continue with our Fellowship."

Galadriel smiled once again and cupped the rangers face with one of her hands. "Do not look so solemn, Estel, has she not brought a sense of light within your heart? It is that light that will sway the darkness in such troubling times. Help her and she shall help you." Standing up and taking a few steps away from Aragorn, Galadriel turned her head slightly to gaze back at the DúnedainKing. "We shall prepare travel for you by river. Within a fortnight you shall depart and continue on your journey."

Raising himself from the bench, Aragorn watched as the Lady turned and left the talon. A fortnight was a generous amount of time for the Lady to grant them stay, while the dwarf would not be so pleased; the Fellowship needed the time to recuperate. Now that Celine was going to continue to travel with them, he would not allow her to saunter into danger with some skill with the blade, knife, or perhaps bow. He, nor anyone else, would not always be there; she needed to know which battles she could win, and which ones to flee.

Descending the steps of the talon, Aragorn listened to the slight whistling of the wind through the trees that hung branches over his head. So many lives of elves, men, and dwarves rested within the result of this war. He wanted nothing more than to return to the time of peace and no looming darkness over the lands. Alas, wishing for the past was not going to change the present.

Taking his last few steps of the staircase, he stood still, just enjoying the slight wind blowing against his face. The air was so clean, and every step he and the Fellowship took closer and closer to Mordor, the fouler the air would become.

Pressing on back to the clearing where the rest of his companions rested, Aragorn maneuvered around a tree only to feel someone collide into him and a girlish squeak echo through the woods, followed by a thud. Looking down, he was surprised to Celine on her butt with a pool of white cloth all around her.

"My apologies." Aragorn said kneeling down to her eye level, noticing her eyes were slightly red in the process. Moreover, she looked angered to be knocked over so easily. The anger diminished though within a few moments as her eyes rested on Aragorn's face.

"It's fine." She shrugged her shoulders. Aragorn stood up to his full height and held out his hand to help her to her feet. Sighing, Celine placed her hand in Aragorn's and he helped her back into a standing position.

Scrunching her dress back up in her hands, Celine took a glance up at Aragorn who held an expressionless look. He looked to be studying her, and in deep thought. "What has got your panties in a twist?" Celine asked as she followed the ranger to what she assumed to be the clearing where everyone else is.

The ranger cocked an eyebrow as he looked down at the mortal woman. "Alright, let me rephrase. What has gotten you so…upset?" Celine didn't think "upset" was quite the word she was looking for, but she couldn't really read any emotion on the ranger's face.

"I have spoken to the Lady Galadriel." Celine made an "O" with her mouth, as she knew what this was leading up to. "I hope you have found some answer that you seek with the lady," Aragorn continued. "For we shall leave in a fortnight."

Celine read enough Shakespeare in high school to understand that a fortnight meant two weeks.

"Oh." She didn't really have much to say back to Aragorn. Two weeks? Two weeks was all they were allotted to rest?! She needed two years to recover from all the walking, running, and climbing she had done over the past week. Also, Aragorn had yet to mention what he had learned; did the Lady not speak with him about what she had seen in the mirror? Celine didn't know if she should have felt relieved or concerned.

As Aragorn gestured for Celine to follow him, a sudden clear voice rang through the air. It was a voice that sounded like water tinkling over a rocky terrain, soft, yet strong enough to carve out the sides of a crag. The voice sounded lovely, but what she sang was not, it sounded like a hymn. A hymn for the dead.

_A Olórin i yáresse__  
__Mentaner i Númenherui__  
__Tírien i Rómenóri __  
__Maiaron i Oiosaila__  
__Manan elye etevanne__  
__Nórie i melanelye?_

The voice was soon joined by many others in harmony. "Why are they singing?" Celine whispered looking towards the tops of the trees where she could see many elves standing atop the talons and looking out towards the edge of Lothlórien. Some looked to be weeping and others held onto each other's with their heads bowed in grief. Celine had a feeling in her gut what, or more like who, they were weeping about, but since she did not understand elvish, she wished for conformation from Aragorn.

But it never came.

Aragorn said naught of what the elves sang about. Instead, he continued to walk until he and Celine were back where they were before. This time though, the entire Fellowship was amongst the clearing. No longer were there signs of a minuscule of joy. The fruit lay forgotten at the hobbits feet and others too had their heads bowed in sorrow.

Around the clearing small tent like structures had been strung up around the roots of the impending trees. Several blankets and pillows had been given to the Fellowship and the hobbits were seen either lying out amongst their makeshift beds, that were far more comfortable than they looked, or just relaxing and leaning against the trunks. The dwarf could be seen lying near the trunk of another tree, presumably sleeping.

Celine's eyes finally fell upon the figure in the center, standing and looking heartbroken as he listened to the voices. Legolas' face looked anguished and Celine never felt worse in all her life for her brutish words.

_Mithrandir, Mithrandir, A Randir Vithren__  
__ú-reniathach i amar galen__  
__I reniad lín ne mór, nuithannen__  
__In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen__  
__I lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen__  
__Caled veleg, ethuiannen._

"A lament for Gandalf." The elf spoke answering the question that no one seemed to dare to ask.

Merry raised his head and gazed around towards the treetops. "What do they saying about him?"

Lowering his head, but not turning to look at the hobbit, the elf replied; "I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near."

Celine and Aragorn moved closer to them and some of them acknowledged their presence with silence. Aragorn moved to a vacant area next to the slumbering dwarf, to which he lowered himself to sit with his back against the smooth tree's bark. He sat there listening to the mingled voices of the elves as he slowly reached for his sword to sharpen. He wished to provide himself with some sort of distraction, something to take away the uselessness he felt amongst his fingers.

Sam seemed to be in deep thought as he heard the elves finished their lament. "I bet they don't mention his fireworks. There should be a verse about them." Sam began to try to sing a more heartfelt tune.

"The finest rockets ever seen  
They burst in stars of blue and green  
Or after thunder, silver showers…"

Aragorn glanced over at the dwarf, to which he could hear the slight sniggering. The ranger reached over and shoved the dwarf harshly, urging him to silence. It was a time of mourning for all.

Pausing after the last line, Sam seemed at a loss on how to finish. "…Came falling like a…rain of flowers… Oh, that doesn't do them justice by a long road."

Celine moved towards Sam and pat him comfortingly on his curly head. "I think it was beautiful Sam. I am sure Gandalf would have thought so as well." Sam merely nodded his head and moved his hand to cover his eyes. Knowing that she could say nothing more, Celine looked around at the others in the encampment. Aragorn had moved to Boromir, who was seated further away from the Fellowship. His skin looked pale and sickly, his hands shook ever so slightly as he spoke in hushed voices with Aragorn. Celine averted her eyes, as she knew she could not hear the words they were exchanging, but whatever they were, Boromir did not seem pleased.

"Take some rest. These borders are well-protected." The ranger said looking down at the seated man.

Though Boromir knew the ranger was right, he felt little safety within the borders. "I will find no rest here. I heard her voice inside my head. She spoke of my father and the fall of Gondor. She said to me 'Even now there is hope left." The Gondor man shook his head and ran a hand over his face.

"But I cannot see it. It is long since we had any hope. My father is a noble man, but his rule is failing. And now our people lose faith. He looks to me to make things right and I would do it. I would see the glory of Gondor restored. Have you ever seen it Aragorn? The White tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver. Its banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?" Boromir spoke in great pride as he imagined the White City and the flourishing people in it.

Aragorn nodded ever so slightly. "I have seen the White City, long ago."

Boromir smiled and stood up, clapping his hand on the ranger's shoulder. "One day, our paths will lead us there. And the tower guards shall take up the call: 'The Lords of Gondor have returned!" Aragorn did not know exactly how to respond to Boromir's claim, he wished not to enter the city of Gondor unless under dire need. He was not prepared to meet his fate in that city.

While the two men had been speaking, the elf moved back towards a basin of water to fill the silver pitcher in his hand. It was within a few meters of the clearing where she and the Fellowship would be resting. Celine bit her lip and trailed after him, but stopped a few meters away, not knowing how to approach him. Could she just say sorry and move away? Or should she attempt to make conversation? Which scenario would seem more civilized?

"I know you are there. There is no need to be hesitant to approach me." The elf turned around and watched the young mortal women open and close her mouth a few times, seemingly unsure of what to say. He had not seen her since she departed from the group with Lady Galadriel; she looked much cleaner that she had looked before.

Celine looked at the elf and tried to make her vocal chords work. "Um…I am sorry for like…you know…the harsh words I spoke before. I was out of line. I swear I'll get less annoying and bitchy as time progresses."

The nodded his head, accepting her words, but the last few ones had him confused. As time progresses? Surely she did not mean to continue with the Fellowship to Mordor? But before the elf could question her, he watched her bundle up the white fabric of her dress into her hands and rush back over to the slumbering hobbits.

The night passed with little incident and Celine was happy to finally have a peaceful slumber with no rocks digging into her back or using her arm as a pillow. She slept in the white gown that she already had on because she honestly did not care enough to go ask for a change of clothes for the night. All she wanted to do was lay her hand down on a pillow and dream of sheep prancing through the clouds. Sleeping in Lothlórien was the most comfortable she had been since coming to Middle Earth and she would miss it in the coming weeks.

The next morning came all too soon and she woke to the sun shining through the tree's roots and onto her face. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Celine rubbed a hand over her face and through her tangled hair. Looking around the empty beds, she knew the hobbits were already up and no doubt feast on what food had been provide by the elves for breakfast.

Raising herself to her feet, Celine pattered over to the opening in the roots and looked out to see the hobbits sitting in the previous nights seat with an assortment of food in front of them. The dwarf was seated against a tree and smoking his pipe and Boromir was sharpening his blade, much like Aragorn had done the night before. All the while Legolas and Aragorn were nowhere to be seen.

"I hope you left at least some for me." The hobbits looked up to see Celine standing above them with her hands on her hips and a grin across her face. "Or is that why you let me sleep in? So you could eat all the food?"

"Nay!" Merry rushed out. "We are but testing the food to see which are the best! You must try the berry bread! It is sweet and melts within the mouth!"

Celine laughed and plopped down on her butt between Merry and Frodo. "Relax, I was joking. But I would like to try some of this food though!" The elves had provided all sorts of bread, fruits, and nuts for them to eat this morning. The bread that was baked with mixed berries was by far her favorite. It tasted warm and fresh, like it had just been pulled out of the oven. Though, knowing Middle Earth, they cooked it on something different due to their lack of technological development.

She spoke with the hobbits and noticed that they all looked well rested. They were laughing and smiling more, and joked with one another. Though Frodo still looked troubled, he fared better than he did days ago. But perhaps being able to sleep without the fear of orcs giving chase eased him slightly.

Celine reached for the last berry slice of bread as Pippin did. Grinning she grabbed the last slice but broke it in half and gave Pippin the other one. Pippin beamed and snatched the other half and began to devour it like a starved man-err hobbit. Celine was still shocked at the amount of food hobbits could eat, its like they had a never ending stomach.

"Celine!" A male voice called and said woman turned around to see Aragorn and Legolas standing beside one another. They were dressed for the day in new tunics and leggings, Aragorn looked to be holding folded cloth in his hands and Legolas was holding the blade that he had let her borrow over the past week or so. An uncomfortable feeling entered her gut at that moment.

Aragorn gestured for her to come towards him, Celine looked down frowning at her uneaten piece of bread in her hand. Pippin glanced at the bread in her hand and back up to her face. Celine was sure the hobbit would have been grinning if not for the enormous amount of food in his mouth.

Oh ho, he thought she couldn't finish her bread slice did he?

Before Pippin could ask for her half, Celine opened her mouth as wide as she could and stuffed the whole slice in. Probably super unladylike but desperate times call for desperate measures. The other hobbits were used to her antics, so they laughed instead of reeling back with disgust.

Raising herself from the ground, she left behind the snickering hobbits and made her way over to Aragorn and Legolas. Barely managing to swallow the last of the bread, Celine stopped in front of Aragorn and Legolas and glanced between the two males.

"I do not wish to have you travel with us without know the basics of a blade." Aragorn started as he watched the woman swallow the last of the bread that was in her mouth. "We have agreed before, on the slopes of Caradhras, that the basic skills of a blade would serve you well. I urge you to allow the Fellowship, and myself, to give you the needed lessons."

Celine blinked owlishly at the ranger, not really knowing how to respond. Obviously she wasn't thrilled at the idea of learning swordplay, but she also wasn't thrilled with the idea of being gutted by an orc on the journey. She thought she held her own in Moria though, perhaps it was more luck than skill though.

Aragorn took her silence as acknowledgement, so he held out the cloth for her to take. Mechanically, Celine raised her hands an unraveled the cloth to reveal another dress, well, sort of a dress. It looked to have leggings underneath with a skirt overlaid on top. There seemed to be a cut that ran up the side that allowed for more movement. It was navy blue in color and looked surprisingly to be her size, height wise anyway.

"A fortnight is not enough time to gather the expertise in swordsmanship. The basics are all you shall learn, but I hope you shall not see a battle for much time. Legolas shall help you with the blade, as it is his and he knows it more than I, while I shall work with the hobbits." Aragorn spoke while gesturing to the elf beside him.

Well, at least the hobbits had to suffer like her. And while this should have comforted her a little, it didn't.

"Great." Celine said sarcastically as she did not want to train with someone who was a 40,000-year-old expert. She'd rather use Aragorn cause he was less graceful than an elf and could make her feel a little better about herself.

Sorry Aragorn.

"Dress quickly, for there is only so much day left." And with that, the ranger walked away towards the seated hobbits.

Legolas nodded for her to change within the trees roots that she slept, to allow for privacy. Without a word, she turned and retreated underneath the roots of the trees. Reaching behind her back, Celine started the long chore of undoing the knots she had formed the night before. Finally managing to disrobe and pull on the new dress that had been provided, Celine noticed several things. One, yes the dress was not at such a length that it pooled at her feet, but it was extremely tight across the chest. Not like a sports bra tight, but tight as in whoever this was made for had no chest, whatsoever. It was tight, but not so tight that she couldn't breathe, but pretty close to it. Secondly, Celine once again faced the chore of the laces in the back.

Settling, for what she assumed was another rather atrocious knot, Celine knew she could no longer delay the inevitable, she walked out from beneath the roots of the trees. She spotted Legolas waiting patiently against the trunk of another tree, still holding the small sword in his hand.

As Celine walked up to him, the elf turned his attention to her and nodded. "If you are ready, than I urge us to begin. There is a clearing up yonder as we shall practice away from the hobbits."

"Lead on." Celine gestured forward. Legolas led her away from the clearing and into another one that was not too far off from where they originally were.

"When did you first pick up your sword?" Celine asked just out of curiosity.

Legolas shook his head. "Twas many, many years ago. I have more memories of when I touched my first bow as it is my preferred weapon of choice."

"Would I be better off learning a bow and arrow than sword?" Celine thought it would be easier as all she had to do was draw back and aim. Though, remembering her aiming skills, it was unlikely that a bow and arrow would serve her well.

"Nay, arrows are only good for combat from a distance. Once the enemy came too near you would be defenseless. Here will do." Legolas turned around and handed the young mortal woman the sheathed blade. Celine grabbed the blade with a weak grip and dropped it limply at her side. The blade still felt foreign in her hand, as she hadn't held this blade since Moria. She didn't miss it one bit to be honest.

"You held your own in Moria," Legolas started as he watched the woman hold the blade loosely. "but there will be more dangers to come. If you wish to hold some skill, you must listen to every detail that I explain. It may seem overbearing, but we are limited it time."

Oh how she was not looking forward to this.

"Alright oh Master Jedi, teach me the ways of the light- never mind." Celine cringed as saw Legolas' blank look in his face. All her funny jokes were wasted on those inhabiting Middle Earth.

"Tell me what you think you are doing wrong." Legolas ignored her comment and gestured towards her hand that held the blade at her side. "It is better if you are able to find faults on your own than having others dictate them. I understand that you are new with a blade, but all I ask is that you try."

Celine looked down at the blade hanging limply at her side. "Um," Celine raised the sword up to waist level. "it was hanging at my side?" Legolas gave no indication with his face that she said something that was correct or not, leaving her to wonder if she was on the right track.

"I'm holding the wrong side up?" Celine flipped the blade back and forth, both sides looking equally as sharp. Before she could even make another embarrassing guess, she heard the "shink" of a sword being quickly drawn and her blade was knocked out of her hand so fast that almost didn't know how it happened.

Reeling back, Celine looked down at her blade that was now embedded in the grass and back up at Legolas. He was holding another blade in his right hand and was watching her reaction. "You held your blade too loosely. You must remember that the enemy will indisputably have more strength than yourself. Hold your blade tightly for if you are disarmed," Legolas held his blade up towards Celine's neck. "your life will easily be taken."

Pausing and staring irritably back at the elf; Celine bent low to pick up her fallen blade and straightened herself again. "That was my third guess."

"Try holding the blade tighter this time." Legolas said ignoring her comment once again.

Celine switched blade to her left hand and tightened to hand as best she could around the blade. Legolas moved quickly and another "clang" resonated in the clearing as Legolas' blade struck her own. But the sheer force behind his blade jerked her ridged hand with the knife, and she let go as it hurt to maintain such tight grip. Again the blade dropped to the grassy floor, sticking into the ground violently.

"Your grip was too tight." The elf spoke bending down to retrieve the blade this time. "Holding the blade with such a tight grip cause pain when clashing with another weapon."

"Why didn't you tell me that before hand." Celine grumbled shaking out her hand as if to relieve the ache a little bit. "That hurt."

Holding the weapon out once more, Legolas looked down at Celine. "But now you shall remember this lesson. Try again."

Sighing, Celine took the weapon once again, and tried to hold the weapon tightly without locking her wrist. Legolas moved again and struck her weapon, except more lightly this time. The blade did not drop out of her hand, but she wasn't able to push back against the elf, as he was much stronger than her.

"Better."

Celine gawked at the elf. "Better? I didn't drop the knife so I was thinking more along the lines of 'Good job' or something."

"You may not have dropped it, but the blade was slipping was it not?" Legolas asked while gesturing towards her blade. What he said was true, the blades hilt she was holding was slipping through her hand, but she wasn't about to admit that, so she stayed silent.

"Now, I think it best if you attack first." Legolas spoke stepping back and lowering his blade to his side.

Celine let out a humorous laugh. "Attack you? You're joking? I just started, aren't there anymore basic ideas we should address first?"

"I do not jest, come, there is no better way to learn than by trial and error."

Celine's jaw dropped. "Trial and error? Trail and error?! Trail and error is something you use in math class if you don't know the answer! Not when you're dealing with two very dangerous objects! What if I hit you? Or better yet, what if you hit me?!"

Surprisingly, Legolas began to laugh as he listened to her. "Nay, you will not hit me nor shall I hit you. Fear not, I have had much practice with a blade; no blood shall be drawn on either end. Come, attack in a way you feel is right and I shall correct you when able."

Still unsure with the whole situation, Celine bit her lip and raised her sword slightly. Legolas watched her, but he did not look tense or ready for her to swing her sword at him. He looked more relaxed, like he was watching a toddler kicking a ball around.

Logically speaking, if Legolas were an enemy, she would have tried to aim for an artery of some sort. A stab in the neck, thigh, or the heart, then she would proceed to run for her life as her enemy bled to death. But this wasn't her enemy- well, not her enemy at the moment.

Deciding trying to hit a larger portion of the body would be smarter, Celine swiped her blade towards the left side of his torso. And though the elf looked unprepared, he was anything but. As soon as her blade swung in his direction, he quickly moved his blade and blocked her strike effortlessly. He pushed her blade away and because Celine's weight was distributed forward, she went cantering into the grass beside him.

Thankfully managing not to fall upon the blade.

Rolling over onto her back, Celine grabbed Legolas' offered hand and the elf hauled her back onto her feet. Legolas wasted no time in explaining what her error had been in when she first tried to strike. He told her that she needed to distribute her weight evenly in her legs so that when an enemy did parry, she would not fall to the ground so quickly. Legolas also explained the manner in which she should hold her blade; she was treating it like a foreign object. He told her that she must use the blade as if it were an extension of the arm and treat it as such.

"Do you know how I was able to see where you were first going to strike?" Legolas asked her as he positioned her hand correctly around the hilt of the blade.

"Um, I swung my blade slowly?" Celine guessed as she tried to recount how on earth someone could react so quickly.

"Nay, I saw where you were going to attack. You must not gaze so intensely where you mean to strike, the enemy can see where your eyes dart."

What he said was true; Celine probably was staring intently at where she planned to strike Legolas. But she didn't think she was _that_ obvious, but perhaps she was. "How could I possibly attack something if I'm not looking at it?"

"You must look, but not in a manner that shows the enemy." The elf corrected as he stepped back and instructed her to attack once again. Though Celine tried to alter her methods as the elf instructed, she ended up sprawling on the grass again, and again, and again. She felt like they were not making any progress, she was just going to forever suck at this medieval warfare.

Oh how she would be more than happy to execute her second amendment right at this moment.

As Legolas parried another blow, Celine went tumbling to the floor in an utterly ungraceful manner. She had loss all sense of time as she had no watch and she did not see a sundial anywhere around. Not that she could actually read one, but she could make an educated guess.

Her muscles protested as she rolled onto her back for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Legolas offered her a hand once again but this time she waved him off. "I see no point getting up off the ground if I'm just going to be back on it in less than a minute."

Celine was sure the elf was going to roll his eyes, but his perfectly structured face gave no sign of exasperation as he reached down to take her hand and yanked her back onto unsteady feet. "I did not you take you for a woman that gave up so easily."

Excuse me?

Did he?

He did.

Celine's eyebrow twitched at his comment, trying to hold her tongue before she let out a string of nasty curse at the elf. She did say she was going to try to be les bitchy. "I'm sorry, you must have not realized how many times I have kissed the ground today. News flash, I am hitting the earth more than I am hitting you. Does that seem like a problem to you? 'Cause it sure does to me."

"No one spoke of this being an easy task." The elf replied evenly.

"No shit." Celine grumbled tossing the blade's hilt hand to hand. She could see the forming of blisters on her hands and they began to aches as the hilt rubbed against them. Looking up at the elf, she thought she saw a flash of annoyance cross his features, but he was an elf, who even knew what he was thinking.

Sighing, Celine stopped fiddling with her blade. She just needed to get through this lesson and then she could be done. No problem. Maybe within the next 10,000 tries she would actually manage to whack Legolas. Unlikely, but not impossible. "Alright, alright, your right. Let's go again. I would prefer not dying on this journey."

"Aye, we all would hope as well." Legolas replied nodding his head. They continued, "sparring", if it could even be called that, until Legolas deemed it time to end for the day.

Legolas pointed out where her flaws were and helped her maneuver her limbs to allow for better swordsmanship. He was strict in teaching; never wishing to veer off from what he was instructed to do. They had very little time to teach the woman the basics of the sword, so every moment counted.

At first, he could tell she was very hesitant, truly thinking she would hit him with her sword. But he had thousands of years worth the combat under his belt; she did not need to worry. Once she saw how easily he was blocking her, she managed to be a little more affirmative with her swings. She still was calculating her movements in too much of an obvious manner, but perhaps this would lessen in time.

Her body was achy and her arms felt detached from her torso when Legolas finally called it quits. "Oh thank God!" Celine cried out in relief as it took everything in her power not to toss her sword to the ground and just leave it there.

"You have done well today, I believe in time you shall grow more accustomed to your weapon." The elf said as he and Celine approached the camp once again. She knew Legolas was just being polite because she was complete shit at swordplay. Celine never imagined wielding a sword would be so challenging; TV and movies made it look like a walk in the park. While she managed to keep herself on her feet for the last hour or so, her movement was sluggish as she always tried to calculate where Legolas was going to strike, and in doing so, her blocks were always too slow and Legolas would halt his attack before he cut her.

The sun had begun to set for the day and Celine and the hobbits had cleaned up from their swordplay session. The Fellowship had gathered around each other as they once again began to feast on a welcomed dinner. Everyone was holding light conversation with one another, but as always, Celine managed to rope herself into a discussion with the hobbits.

The hobbits were talking animatedly about one of Bilbo's tales. Pippin had brought up that Bilbo was the one who slayed the dragon while Merry argued that it was in fact a collective effort that caused the dragon to die.

"Pippin do you ever listen!" Merry groaned as he reached for another tart. "Bilbo has spoken this story at least a hundred times!"

"Aye, and you are the one who is mistaken!" Pippin replied while smirking and tilting his head. "For if you had listened correctly, Bilbo brought down the dragon!"

While Frodo could have easily cleared up this argument, he had left moments ago, seeking solace perhaps. So instead, Celine took it upon herself to clear up the misunderstanding. "Actually, you are both wrong." Celine said nonchalantly. "Bilbo nor the dwarves slayed the dragon."

The hobbits in question turned to look at the woman who was deciding which sweet she should partake in. "Luke Evans slayed the dragon."

Celine reached for one of the tarts Merry had eaten and popped it in her mouth and chewed. "Bilbo spoke of no Luke, son of Evans." Merry shook his head and watched as Celine made a befuddled expression.

"Err, I meant Bard the Bowman. My bad." Celine swallowed the rest of the tart but did not reach for another one. Elves definitely did not believe in copious amounts of sugar. These sweets would not last in America, not even for a day.

"You knew Bard!" Pippin exclaimed with wide eyes.

"N-not personally of course!" Celine waved a hand in front of her face. "I saw the movie. Remember, the moving stories I told you about."

"They have one about Mr. Bilbo's adventures?!" Sam too was shocked at the sudden reveal that one of their favorite hobbits had his own moving picture.

"Actually, Sam, there are 3."

"Then you must know the story as well!" Merry seemed to jump up and down excitedly in his seat. "You knew the dwarves! And the great battle that raged between the five armies."

"Okay wait, you bring up a good point." Celine put her hand over Merry's face to muffle his next few words. "Where are the five armies? I count four, dwarves, elves, humans, and orcs. Where the fuck is the fifth?"

"Do you remember all the dwarves names?" Pippin asked completely bypassing Celine's question. "There were 13 but we can not remember them all."

"Yeah, no problem." Celine shrugged her shoulders. "Doc, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, Doppy, Grumpy, and Sneezy."

The three hobbits all exchanged looks, never hearing of those dwarves' names before. "Those are only seven names, and none of them sound similar to the ones Bilbo spoke of." Pippin looked confused as he stared at the young woman.

"I was joking." Celine rolled her eyes. "I can't remember many characters. Just Bilbo, Thorin, Thranduil, Gloin, err-." Celine didn't get much farther as Gimli perked at the sound of his father's name.

"Ye saw my father?" Gimli removed the pipe he had been smoking from his mouth and seemed to gawk at Celine. He still did not understand the concept of her moving stories and how on earth she could have seen Gloin.

"In a way, yes."

"You also saw the elven king you said?" Sam asked while he watched Celine's face break out into a grin and she reminisced about the elven king. She didn't know a lot about the elven king, just what the movie portrayed him as. He seemed okay to be honest. Definitely not someone she would want to meet in real life, but she could admire him from afar.

"Indeed, he was a DILF." As soon as the word left her mouth, Celine slapped a hand over her mouth. The only members of the Fellowship that were really listening to her were the hobbits and the dwarf. The two men and elf were near, but they were engaged in a conversation with one another.

"What is a-?" Merry began to ask but Celine immediately cut him off.

"Never mind. You heard nothing." She ducked her head down and stared at the grass she was sitting on, like it was the most intriguing thing ever. Her face began to heat up and she felt an intense blush begin to splatter across her cheeks.

"No, we heard you say-." Pippin opened his mouth once more and Celine took this opportunity to grab a slice of bread and shove it into his open mouth.

Gimli cocked an eyebrow and turned to the men and elf. He too heard the woman mention something about the elven king, a phrase he knew not what it meant. The mortal woman seemed extremely embarrassed at what she had revealed, so perhaps it had been slightly insulting. Any chance the dwarf could knock the elven king off his throne he would gladly take. "Lads, do ye know what the saying-."

"Shut up!" Celine screeched while lunging at the dwarf and proceeded to knock him over. "Do. Not. Say. A. Word." She growled through gritted teeth.

"What trouble is there amongst you?" Aragorn asked watching the comical scene of Celine wrestling the dwarf to the ground. He had only heard bits and pieces of the conversation, paying more attention to what he spoke of with the two nearest to him.

"Celine has mentioned," Legolas spoke unsurely while looking at Aragorn. "that my father is a DILF."

Celine just about died from embarrassment right there. Please just let the ground open up and swallow her whole. Give her to the Kraken. Give her to Smaug. Give her Sauron. Facing them would be less scary then facing these imbeciles.

Slapping her hands over her face, Celine rocked back and forth extremely embarrassed. Of course the elf must have heard what they had been speaking about. Just hearing him say the word made her want to vomit. Oh, out of all the horrible words she was teaching them, this was by far the worst.

"I know not the meaning of the word." Boromir spoke while gazing around at the Fellowship before settling on Celine. "Pray tell, what does it mean?"

Celine sputtered and avoided everyone's eyes. "I-its not anything offensive. It could be considered a compliment, it-uh…means very nice. Pleasant to be around." She lied through her teeth, well, half-lied. It just depends on how you interpret the meaning.

Aragorn could tell, as the elf could as well, that the woman was lying. She seemed to be extremely embarrassed at the word, which made them wonder why she spoke of it. Taking pity on the embarrassed woman, the ranger steered the conversation in a different direction. "It matters not," The ranger said standing up. "we should all rest for we have more to do tomorrow." Celine groaned and whined at the prospect of continuing her sword lessons again at such an early hour the next morning.

The dwarf beside her huffed in what looked like annoyance. He began grumbling to himself about "pointy-eared creatures and their less than pleasant attitudes."

But taking Aragorn's advice, she and the hobbits decided to turn in for the night. Celine changed into the sleeping clothes she had been provided for her duration of her stay and lowered herself onto her little makeshift bed. Her muscles ached in protest as she had abused them today through Legolas' various exercises.

She sat there and twisted her fingers through the loose strands of her hair absentmindedly, just thinking about nothing. Though, she was a firm believer that it was dangerous to leave someone to his or her own thoughts during extended periods of time. Celine had been so preoccupied with others, that it allowed her mind to drift away from the worries that threatened to crush her.

Creating a quick rope braid, Celine managed to get her hair together so it wouldn't choke her during the night. Placing her head against the pillow, she laid on her side, staring at the smooth bark along the trees great roots. Trying to sway her mind in another direction than memories about her home, Celine began to count in Spanish, trying to recall the little that she learned in Elementary school. Though once she reach 16, she couldn't remember anymore. So she switched to French, to which she stopped at three.

Yeah, she wasn't an expert in foreign languages.

Celine listened to snoring of the dwarf and the muttering of the hobbits of a little while. She didn't know how long it took for her to drift to sleep, whether it was mere minutes or many hours, she did not know. Lothlórien seemed to have that effect, causing all those within its realm to lose all sense of time. But as soon as Celine's eyes saw darkness, he heart clenched painfully and her limbs shook with fear. She couldn't explain it though, she could see nothing and yet she felt so afraid, like something would come forth from the shadows and attack her. She hadn't had the dark dreams in what felt like a long time, she almost completely forgot about them.

Not only did she feel afraid, but also she felt cold. Her nightclothes were sticking to her frame and when Celine fingered the hem of her sleeve, it felt damp, and very heavy. There was a harsh splatter across her body and shakingly, she lifted her hand and felt large liquid drops fall into her open palm. All was silent, for a time.

But then she heard it, the sound of metal dragging along stone. It was painstakingly slow, she would hear it move, then stop, and then move again, then stop. Almost as if whatever was coming towards her needed to pause to recuperate what little strength they had left.

Celine could still see nothing, nothing but darkness. She drew her limbs closer to her torso in an effort to make her feel a little safer. But it was futile, it only caused her to shake that much more in fear. The noise drew closer and closer, until finally it felt like whatever was moving was laying right near her.

A low moaned echoed through the clearing and a flash of bright light flickered across the scene and resounding clash of thunder. With that flash, that half a second allowed her eyes to realize where she was. What she could see were bodies, bodies that were whole and some that were not. They all lay across the ground, but she couldn't tell what the ground was, there were just too many bodies. A little ways from her feet, Celine noticed one thing. There looked to be a glimmer of gold somewhere on the ground that appeared dead and lifeless. It looked silky, like strands of woven sunlight mingled with the gore of the carcasses around it.

That sight vanished though and Celine was left alone in the dark once more. But she hadn't forgot about what had ceased their crawling next to her, she was only mildly distracted by the gold. Only huffs of breath could be heard and Celine realized that it was her who was breathing so hard, as if oxygen was sparse.

"You…" A voice sounded like it was gargling some thick substance. The air reeked of rust and decay, so putrid and so nauseating. Slapping her shaking hand over her mouth, Celine continued to tremble, not daring to move an inch. "b-brought….de….ath…"

The voice could have been male, or maybe female. They were so quiet when he or she spoke. Another flash illuminated the surrounding followed by another booming sound and only then did Celine realize that there was a storm going on around her. A heavy torrential rainfall with booming thunder and intense lightening.

Taking a glance down, it what direction she assumed was the voice, another flash of lightening allowed her to see who the person's face…or…. what used to be the face.

An armored male was strewn across what Celine could now tell as cobblestone. There was blood dripping from his eye where a black, mangled arrow had taken up residence in his socket. His legs looked twisted in a mangled manner that left him crippled and unable to move anywhere lest he dragged himself. Celine couldn't imagine the agony he must have been in, try as she may to force her limbs to move and assist the dying man, she couldn't move.

She stood shockingly still as another lightening strike illuminated the scene and grotesque images filled her sight. But what drew her attention from the mangled man at her feet was the vibration of a thud. Something heavy, heavy and made of metal was dropped to the ground.

Heavy footfalls were heard in the distance, as Celine could not see without the lightening in the sky. The footfalls were heard along with the dragging of the metal object. Though whoever, or whatever, was walking was doing so with no trouble.

The footfalls were growing nearer and Celine could hear the clinking of chains being rubbed against one another. One last lightening strike filled the air before Celine let out an earth-shattering scream. What was standing in front of her must have been seven or eight feet tall. There was no face, just a metal helmet covered the head and parts of the face, but the rest that was not covered was entirely black. Like a cloth had been pulled across its face.

An iron glove reached out towards her face and that's when Celine screamed. But when the young woman screamed, so did the creature. It was the Nazgul's screech that pierced the air, much like her own. It seemed to reel back slightly, whether out of fear or surprise, Celine did not know.

The creature moved forward violently once more and Celine could here the rustling of the chains. And just as another flash filled the sky, the woman could see a giant, spiked, projectile come racing towards her. It was moving so fast and Celine watched as the weapon collided with her torso. It was so painful and felt so real, but almost immediately after she had been hit, she woke up.

She had expected to wake with a piercing scream and even though her mouth way agape, no sound, not even a squeak escaped. But she began to heave and felt the notion to vomit. Trying to untangle her legs from her the blankets, Celine made it out of the bed and hurried over to another portion of the clearing, away from the slumbering Fellowship. She felt herself gag and heave but nothing came up. Her stomach felt tied in uncomfortable knots and her heart was beating like crazy. Every time she squeezed her eyes shut she saw the mass of carcasses from her dream, which made her want to vomit even more.

It was too real, her dream felt too real. Celine thought she had escaped her dreams of the dark for her stay in Lothlórien. But obviously not. She felt her self retch again and she clutched her stomach and dug her fingertips into her skin, trying to distract herself with pain elsewhere.

She tired to muffle her coughs into her palm, but it ended making her sound like she was gagging or something. The nausea would come and go and Celine lowered herself slowly to the ground and leaned her back against the tree.

"Just breath Celine…. just breathe." She spoke to herself as she tried to distract her mind. She thought of kittens, puppies, guinea pigs, pandas, and anything else cute and fluffy. She breathed in through her nose, and exhaled out through her mouth. She closed her eyes and continued to just focus on her breathing, not letting her mind wander anywhere else.

"My lady?" A voice called out ever so softly that Celine swore her mind was playing tricks on her. But sure enough, she cracked opened her eyes and saw the elf standing in front of her. Legolas had been awake for most of the night, just feeling at peace within the elven realm. He did not wish to close his eyes for a moment to submit himself to the dark and the treacherous thoughts that lay in his mind.

The elf heard heavy breathing and the scrambling of limbs pushing aside mountains of blankets. While he had suspected that it was the ringbearer, plagued by the dark dreams he has had of late, he was mildly surprised to see the young woman exit from beneath the tree's roots and shuffled over to another large tree trunk where she proceeded to heave and shake like a leaf in a gust of wind.

Legolas watched her as she slid herself to the ground and debated whether or not to approach her, as she looked ill and wanted to be left in peace. But she was now a part of their journey, and she would soon learn that not everything could be fixed on their own.

Moving himself away from where he was seated, he quietly made his way over to the pale woman. He crouched down to her eye level and raised a hand to her forehead, but before it could make contact she whacked it away.

"I'm not sick." She grumbled closing her eyes once more. "I'm just…having a moment."

The elf said nothing but Celine could barely hear footsteps moving away from her. She exhaled in relief, as she truly did not need to speak to anyone at the moment. Unless they wanted to get vomited on.

But unbeknownst to her, the elf was walking back towards her, but this time he held a silver pitcher in his hand and glass. She lifted her head and watched him pour the fresh water into the glass and pressed it into her palm.

"I'm not sick." Celine repeated trying to give the glass back to Legolas who merely shook his head.

"It matters not what your physical ailments may be, but the coolness of the water can some times soothe the thoughts that run rampant through your mind."

Damn this elf and his poetic sentences.

Celine pursed her lips and raised the glass to her dry lips and slowly took a sip of the water. It was cool and she felt like her stomach was going to protest the water, but it seemed relieved at the prospect of something so cold and relaxing. Whether it was a trick of the mind or the elves but something in the water, she felt her heartbeat slow and Celine no longer felt like she was a ticking time bomb.

"Thanks." Celine tipped the glass towards Legolas who nodded and stood up once again. The elf turned to move back to where he had been reclining, feeling his presence was not needed any more. But as Celine watched the tall elf turn away, her eyes remained transfixed on his platinum hair. Something about his hair triggered her mind to go back to her dream, and she kept thinking about the gold she saw lying among the dead. The mangled gold that was strewn in all different directions and looked to have lost all light it had once possessed and sickening thought filled her mind.

Perhaps Legolas was just a moving corpse, just like her?

…

No, the entire Fellowship was just a group of walking corpses. That, she was certain of.

* * *

~ ~ Translations ~ ~ I had to mix in a little Quenya, sorry!

_Ennas muntaië dínan hí_ – There is nothing for her here.

_Û __egor dangweth surië henia sí în_ _Loth__lórien_ – No other answer can she seek to uncover in Lothlórien.

_Heruinen, ihloa dín dartha brona._ – My lady, I would have her stay here and survive.

_Auth û dor an pen nimp gwein, dín tû medui. Gaerië _– War is no place for one so small/frail and young, her strength in waning/ending. I/am fear/fearful for her.

_Û lá tû en rhond cend, ono ni rhond hûn_ – It is not the strength of the body you must look to, but to the strength of the heart.

_A Olórin i yáresse_ – Olórin, who once was..._  
__Mentaner i Númenherui_ – Sent by the Lords of the West_  
__Tírien i Rómenóri _– To guard the lands of the East_  
__Maiaron i Oiosaila_ – Wisest of all Maiar_  
__Manan elye etevanne_ – What drove you to leave_  
__Nórie i melanelye?_— That which you loved?

_Mithrandir, Mithrandir, A Randir Vithren_ – Mithrandir, Mithrandir O Pilgrim Grey_  
__ú-reniathach i amar galen_ – No more will you wander the green fields of this earth_  
__I reniad lín ne mór, nuithannen_ – Your journey has ended in darkness._  
__In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen _– The bonds cut, the spirit broken_  
__I lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen_ – The Flame of Anor has left this World_  
__Caled veleg, ethuiannen._– A great light, has gone out.

* * *

A/N And there you have it! Chapter 13 is wrapped up and in the next chapter, we shall be leaving Lothlórien! Again, it was slightly bumpy in the beginning, but I think towards the end of this chapter it kind of evened out…kind of. I know it might have seemed like a filler chapter, but I wanted to introduce the idea of teaching swordplay to Celine. It wouldn't make any sense for them to recuperate in Lothlórien for a while and not bother attempting to teach Celine how to wield a sword.

Attempting is the key word here.

Though one last thing, if none of you know what a DILF is, you may look it up for yourself. It might seem a little offensive to some, so don't Google it if you think you might be offended. It's honestly not of any relevance to this story, its just keeping Celine in her foul-mouthed, not thinking before she speaks, attitude. For those of you who do know what it means and you are offended, I apologize.


	14. Separated But Not Broken

A/N Trust me, I know it's been awhile and since it has been, I have a super long chapter for you! Fun fact, in order to get my motivation to kick in I just put on the 3½-hour complete soundtrack on for Lord of the Rings. I mean lets be honest, the whole thing is a work of art.

In this chapter we are leaving Lothlórien! We journey closer and closer to a pivotal point in the story and like every story, there cannot be a happy ending without experiencing tragedy beforehand. I'm sure you all know what I'm hinting at. Or maybe not.

There is a ton going on with this chapter and I hope it comes out alright :/ I'm a little iffy with it, but I hope you enjoy!

Guest: I'm very happy to see that you are enjoying this story so much! I much prefer to put up long chapters than little short ones XD I feel like it much more pleasurable to read!

Trich: Hahaha I'm glad to see you agree! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Guest: Glad to see you liked the last chapter! Here's another!

Arya: Thank you so much! I'm happy to see that you are enjoying my chapters! Here is another chapter and sorry for the wait!

SkittleStalker: Well thank you for putting the time in to review! I appreciate it Here is another update and I hope you like this chapter!

The Archfiend: Hahaha its good to see that Celine isn't the only who thinks Thranduil is a DILF!

DeLacus: I definitely want to build up the friendship and interaction with the Fellowship. Too often have I read stories where the focus is just on certain characters. Believe me when I say this is going to be a story about a lot of characters, not just Celine.

Frostfire613: Lee Pace was definitely a great choice for the character! I loved the casting for every single character and I have no complaints about anything! :D

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Saruman considered himself a great wizard and much wiser than the other three. He knew that the darkness that was spreading was unavoidable as it multiplied and infect nearly all the lands of Middle Earth. The spawn of Uruk-Hai and the impending soldiers of Isengard would soon feast on the flesh of man, elf, and dwarf alike. Everything had been planned and executed in the most strategic manner. He was very close to getting the Ring in his possession; the hobbit could only last for so long. Already the Ring had been infecting the minds of the so-called "Fellowship" and it would begin to overtake them one at a time.

He had been using the palantír to see afar. The Fellowship had been seen entering the Golden Wood but from there on out, the elf witch's magic cast his eyes away. But before they had been lost from his sight, a new addition to the Fellowship could be seen amongst the group.

It was a most peculiar sight indeed, a woman who seemed to descend from the mountaintops with the Fellowship, but was not among them when they climbed. There was something strange about her, but the wizard gave her little more than a glance before he moved away. She was of no importance, but the new addition was still strange. What had occurred over the Misty Mountains?

Moving away from the pedestal with the palantír atop, Saruman moved outside of his tower in Orthanic. His army of orcs were moving in haste, creating swords and unearthing the Uruk-Hai. It would soon be time to move.

"There is little hope for the Fellowship." Saruman mocked before turning away and slamming the doors shut, blocking out the screams and cries of the creatures below.

* * *

The days in Lothlorien blended together as the Fellowship settled into routine. Aragorn often disappeared for a time to converse with Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn about their future path that lay before them. Legolas continued to teach Celine swordplay, starting in the early hours of the morn until the twilight of the eve.

Celine slowly got better every day but she was nowhere near the skill level that she would feel comfortable with. Legolas had always started the morning with teaching her to parry and to avoid the tip of the blade. He knew her lack of strength would fail when face-to-face with an orc. Eventually she would have to go on the offensive because those who parried, rather than those who struck, seldom won battles.

Legolas noted that the woman started to pay closer attention to his words as the day drew nearer to their departure. Whether this was due to her fright of seeming to venture back into the wild with no defense or not was unbeknownst to him. He had not attempted to approach the topic of what had kept her up some of their nights in Lothlórien. It began known to him her lack of sleep, as each day the bags under her eyes seemed to darken a deeper shade that they had been than the day before.

Celine could feel the stares of the elf sometimes in the night when she would wake up from the grotesque dreams of blood, gore, and dead orcs at her feet. It was the same scene over and over each and every night she would wake with a notion to vomit up her stomach's contents.

Every night she would dream and see bits and pieces of light piercing through the darkness. A scream echoed through her eardrums of a woman, it had sounded like a blade had stabbed her over and over again. Cries so mighty from a man rattled her bones as Celine tried to move through the darkness, to see something of what was going on. Sometimes she would have glimpses of gold, orange, and brown that looked like the tips of trees. She swung her head in each direction hearing sounds of battle and agony.

Something was happening and Celine couldn't stand hearing the sounds of war and terror each night. She wanted to know what was going on but then at the same time, she didn't. She didn't want to see the lives of men, woman, and children snatched away from them. Watching the life of those so young drain from their gaze as they went to a place that knew of peace.

Celine knew that her skills with the blade were mediocre at best, despite Legolas' encouraging words. He was a patient teacher and never allowed her to complain about her lack of strength or her sluggish moves. Legolas spoke of how words could not serve her well in battle and the only way she would make it to see the light of day was learning to survive. The ability to fight was not something not to be learned in a fortnight, nor could one master the complete form in a few months. He said only through experience and practice did one truly be able to confidently wield a blade.

Not knowing anything about swordplay, Celine had to take his word for it. But no matter how hard she tried, her mind would often wander from her lesson at hand at go to the images that reflected from behind her lids at night. Though Celine was not the only one who seemed uneasy throughout the night, one man among their group seemed to grow fouler as the days went by.

Boromir could be seen amongst the hobbits during the day. Shouting movements and parries to the small creatures as there feet could almost be seen as dancing among the grass. He seemed to forcefully try to project ease and confidence when amongst others, but it was no mystery to some about the darkness his eyes seemed to reflect.

His eyes grew haunted and hazed whenever his eyes swept over Frodo's figure. His body would tense and he would force a smile and nod in Frodo's direction before turning himself back to the hobbits at his feet. The Ring grew more on his mind and no matter how hard the man of Gondor tried to push it away, the feeling or dread and need would wash over his bones.

During the late evening hours when the Fellowship was together, Boromir would sometimes excuse himself to smoke in peace, away from the company. Celine didn't understand it at first as she thought he had been alone enough the entire day. But she said nothing, as the rest of the Fellowship gave no protest to his request. Aragorn noticed his absence and sensed that there was more to what was going on and that the shadow in his mind was growing.

Frodo too knew Boromir was distancing himself from the Ringbearer. It provided him some relief to see Boromir retreat from the scene. The man of Gondor was honorable but Frodo knew that the Ring was tempting and it was becoming harder and harder to resist everyday. Frodo also knew there had been some sort of exchange between Lady Galadriel and Boromir because often the man could be seen glancing around the clearing, as if expecting something to jump out with a war cry. Boromir was always on alert and his paranoia only grew as the days went by.

Time had passed and the Fellowship awoke the day of their departure. Celine was still quite groggy as the night had been less than pleasant for her. Though despite her few hours of sleep, Celine knew she fared much better than Frodo. The Ring seemed to weigh down his neck and he never seemed to smile anymore. As a matter of fact his face truly displayed no emotion, he seemed too absorbed in his own thoughts. Even Sam could rarely coax a conversation out of him.

Celine dressed herself for the journey in the tunic and leggings provided by the elves. While she was thankful for the elven material, she desperately wished to don the attire of that which she arrived. It was her last piece of her home and despite that the cuts and tears the worn material had sustained, she wished nothing more than to where the familiar jean material around her legs and the wool against her chest.

Pulling the dark green, long sleeve shirt over her head, Celine allowed the cloth to glide over her skin before it ended just above her waist. Donning the same shade of tunic, Celine pulled that too over her head but this one was slimmer fitting and tied tightly around her torso. Once she had slipped on all the clothing provide, Celine felt as if she was trying to pretend to be someone she was not.

Her clothes at least seemed to represent a shred of her identity she held at home. But now that she was dressed in such foreign cloth, the realization of becoming someone who inhabited Middle Earth hit her. Celine refused to weep at the loss of her identity because she knew in heart that it was only a matter of time until she was home. Galadriel had showed her what was expected to come; the fading of her physical body represented her loss of identity of Middle Earth and her return to her homeland. To her true home.

Aragorn led the Fellowship to the shore of the river and Celine looked around the clearing to see several elves from Lothlórien there. They were all watching and waiting to bid the Fellowship goodbye as they continued their journey. Celine wondered if they were secretly joyous to see the Ring of Power leave their lands. But as she looked closer at the elves gazes she saw a mixture of pity and sadness, as if they expected to never lay eyes on them again, which was less than comforting.

"Frodo, Sam, you shall ride with me. While Merry and Pippin shall board Boromir's vessel. Celine, Gimli, and Legolas shall take the last." Aragorn spoke as they all reached the riverside where the boats were docked. Lothlórien elves moved towards them with leaf parcels in their hands. Celine stood off to the side near where Merry and Pippin were seated, feeling unsure how to aid the Fellowship as they readied themselves for departure.

Legolas moved next to them and placed the leaf parcels into the boat that was near them. After moving two of them, the elf reached for another but stopped as he took the time to inspect the contents in each parcel. Reaching his hand delicately into the wrapping, he pulled out a piece of what looked like "White Wonder Bread." He grinned and took the tiniest bite before looking down at the two hobbits.

"Lembas. Elvish waybread. One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man." The elf spoke with a smile of satisfaction on his face. Celine looked over to Merry and Pippin who merely smiled and nodded in acknowledgement of the elf's statement.

As Legolas moved away to help the others load their boats Merry tilted his head towards Pippin. "How many did you eat?"

"Four." Pippin replied before a gurgling sound erupted from his stomach. Celine made a face of disgust as she looked at the two hobbits.

"How in the world did you manage that?" She asked while taking in the small forms of the hobbits. Though she honestly shouldn't have been surprised as she had seen the hobbits eat copious amounts of food and never seemed to fall sick from it.

Her question remained unanswered as Aragorn beckoned the Fellowship to draw near to his form. He stood near Lord Celeborn, as they had seemed to just come back from sort of discussion behind the Lórien trees. His face looked grim but Aragorn showed little else of what had transversed behind the trees.

The Fellowship stood together in line with Legolas at the front, followed by Pippin, Merry, Sam, Celine, Gimli, Boromir, and finally Aragorn. Lady Galadriel moved in front of the Fellowship with a few elves in tow behind her. Several different objects could be seen in the hands of the elves.

It became apparent that the generosity of the Lórien elves knew no end. She floated down the line of the Fellowship and handed gifts to each of the members. "My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadhrim. Worthy of the skill of our woodland kin." The elf behind her hand Legolas a regal looking bow that seemed longer and stouter than the one he had carried before. A quiver of arrows was also provided to the Woodland prince. Legolas was in awe over such a bow and he ran his finger along the fine wood with such a gentle touch. Galadriel smiled sweetly as she watched the young prince treat his bow as he would treat a delicate flower.

"To the son of the Steward, I present you a belt of gold that shall not break nor bend. Its sturdiness shall remain, until the very end." Galadriel spoke to Boromir who reached out with shaky hands to grasp the gift. He was still hesitant around the elven woman but he nodded his thanks as he did not trust his voice.

Moving on to the two little hobbits, Galadriel handed both Merry and Pippin a dagger. "These are the daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen service in war." Galadriel paused for a moment as she could see traces of worry etched into Pippin's face as he swept his eyes over the dagger. "Do not fear, young Peregrin Took. You will find your courage."

To Sam, Lady Galadriel presented him with rope that looked to entwine brilliant silver thread in its weaving. "And for you, Samwise Gamgee, Elven rope made of hithlain." Sam reached for the rope and held the delicate, yet sturdy, rope in his hands. Despite its small circumference and the limited length of the rope, Celine could tell that there was more to the rope than meets the eye. She had no idea what purpose it served in Sam's journey; maybe he would come across another pony? Maybe he would need to lasso it for some reason?

"Thank you, my lady." Sam said as he took a quick glance to two hobbits whom were still looking at the daggers in their hands "Have you run out of those nice, shiny daggers?" Sam asked as he looked back up at the Lady of Lothlórien. Celine's jaw dropped at the audacity of Sam's question. At a very young age she was taught by her mother to just say "thank you" to what ever you received. It didn't matter if you already had it, hated it, or was a completely shitty gift, just fucking say "thank you." Obviously this lesson did not translate to the hobbits.

Despite Sam's question, Galadriel smiled at the honesty of the round hobbit. She took no offense to his innocent request and just moved onto Celine who began to shift her weight foot to foot. Celine was already grateful for what the Lady had told her about her path she needed to take to get home. A great weight had been lifted off her shoulders and it but her mind somewhat at ease. In her heart she knew the story had just begun, but each step she took brought her closer to the ending. And Celine was going to make sure it was a good one.

"To you young Celine, I present you Silmaril. Our cherished gem that will guide you home no matter where your feet may stand. Too long has shadow claimed its creation, a new story of light and warmth shall fill its pages." Galadriel took the thin silver chain and stepped towards Celine and placed the necklace over her head. Celine was shocked as the lady stepped back and she could take the time to examine it. It was a brilliant white gem that rivaled the sparkle of Frodo's mithril shirt. It was small and delicate, no bigger that her thumb nail. Intricate weaving of silver embodied the gem to keep it in place. It was over all very beautiful but Celine did not understand how this gem would help her. Instead of voicing her thoughts, Celine smiled at the beautiful elf in front of her, to which Galadriel returned.

Lady Galadriel stepped away from Celine and moved in front of the dwarf. "And what gift would a dwarf ask of the Elves?" The lady asked as mirth sparkled in her eyes as if she could hear the words the dwarf was about to speak before he said them.

"Nothing. Except to look upon the lady of the Galadhrim one last time, for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the earth." Gimli said finally raising his head to gaze at the urethral woman before him. Galadriel laughed at his words as such a compliment was rarely given to an elf from a dwarf. The dwarf began to stutter as he shifted on his two short legs. "Actually, there was one thing. No, no, I couldn't. It's quite impossible. Stupid to ask…"

But Galadriel neither left nor disagreed with the dwarf's words as she waited for him to ask his request. "Surely there is something I may provide you with for your journey Gimli son of Gloin. Please speak and allow me to hear your request."

Gimli finally looked back up at the woman. "Nothing, unless it might be - unless it is permitted to ask for a single strand of your hair, which surpasses the gold of the earth as the stars surpass the gems of the mine. I do not ask for such a gift. But you commanded me to name my desire." The dwarf began to blush lightly as Galadriel's laugh trickled across the clearing.

The lady said nothing more as she pulled forth three strands of her hair and with her husband's knife; she severed the starlit strands from her head. Gimli looked astonished as the lady presented him with her gift. "I can give no amount of thanks to prove what a blessing this gift is." The dwarf spoke. "I shall treasure it forever and once I return to my halls, I shall enclose this in a crystal vial and let this be the image of union between the mountain and wood."

Galadriel than moved onto to Aragorn, but instead of her face gazing into the ranger's, her eyes were turned down towards the Evenstar than lay at the base of his throat. Her granddaughter's necklace had been gifted to Aragorn before his departure from Rivendell. The love Arwen held for Aragorn matched that of Galadriel's affection for Celeborn. Their races and span of life was the obstacle in such a union, but Arwen knew the life she will have to choose for herself. "I have nothing greater to give than the gift you already bear. _Am meleth dîn, i ant e guil Arwen Undómiel pígatha._"

"_Aníron i e broniatha, ad ae periatham athar i methid en-amar hen._" The ranger spoke while catching the eye of the Lady."_Aníron i e círatha na Valannor._"

"That choice is yet before her. You have your own choice to make, Aragorn. To rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin. _Namárië._" Lady Galadriel spoke and she knew Aragorn understood what she meant. "_Nadath nâ i moe cerich. Dan, ú-'eveditham, Elessar._"

Finally, Galadriel moved onto the most important of the company, the young hobbit with so much wearing down on his body and mind. Galadriel reached towards the last elf behind her and withdrew a silver vial. Bending down slightly, Galadriel placed the bright vial into Frodo's palm. The vial shone just as brilliantly, if not more, as the Silmaril that lay around Celine's neck. "Farewell, Frodo Baggins. I give you the light of Eärendil, our most beloved star." The woman placed a kiss against the hobbits brow before drawing herself back up to her full height. "May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out."

At long last, the last of the gifts were given and soon the Fellowship was given one last gift as a whole. Different Lórien elves stepped forth to garb the strangers in sturdy green clocks. The clasp at the neck was a green leaf brooch that Celine thought belonged in the window of Tiffany's and not around her neck. As the elves stepped back with their heads bowed, Lord Celeborn gave the final parting words.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Celeborn spoke as he gazed a final time at those that stood before him.

"Thank you." Aragorn spoke for the entirety of the group. Soon he and the rest of the company climbed into the boats. Gimli went to the front of Celine's boat, while she followed next, and finally Legolas brought up the rear. The seating chart was so that the three of them would not tip the boat over.

Once they had all gotten into the boats, Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas pushed of the shore before getting back into the boats. The river was calm and they slowly drifted from the safety and beauty of Lothlórien. No longer would they be able to feast their eyes on the splendor of the elven realm and feel safe at night to close their eyes.

Galadriel too boarded a slightly more regal boat to give the Fellowship one last farewell. She raised her hand as each of the members turned around one last time. The elves began to softly sing their farewell to them. It was in elvish once again and Celine did not understand what they were saying, but as they continued to drift down the river her heart felt heavier with each of the words.

"_Ai! Laurië lantar lassi súrinen,  
yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron!  
Yéni ve lintë yuldar avánier  
mi oromardi lissë-miruvóreva  
Andúnë pella, Vardo tellumar  
nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni  
ómaryo airetári-lírinen.  
Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?  
An sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëo  
ve fanyar máryat Elentári ortanë  
ar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulë  
ar sindanóriello caita mornië  
i falmalinnar imbë met,  
ar hísië untúpa Calaciryo míri oialë.  
Sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar!  
Namárië! Nai hiruvalyë Valimar!  
Nai elyë hiruva! Namárië!"_

The last of the voices faded as that had finally drifted out of sights of Lothlórien. Everyone was truly quiet and they seemed to finally realize that they were back on their quest to venture into the dark lands of Mordor.

The boats were at a far enough distance that they needed to shout in order to communicate with each other, though nobody needed to shout at the elf because he could practically hear everyone breathe.

Celine had felt awkward not paddling so she offered to switch with Legolas if he ever got tired. He nodded his thanks but reassured her he would be fine. Her cheeks flooded with color as she turned back towards the front as she forgot that elves seemed to have an endless supply on energy. And to be honest she might have crashed the boat.

Gimli was in a daze for some of the time on the river. "I have taken my worst wound at this parting, having looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me." Celine smirked slightly as she heard the dwarf's words of praise for the elven woman.

Legolas smiled as he allowed the dwarf to recount his tale on how the Lady had bestowed him three hairs from her one, exceeding just the one he had asked for. Legolas knew the tale of Fëanor and how begged for a strand of hair from Lady Galadriel's head. Though seeing through his heart and could sense the greed within it. Denying her kin three times, there was no friendship between the two. Legolas knew that Gimli did not truly understand why his request shall forever remain in the halls of Lothlórien.

While the sights along the river were tranquil and the water was clear, there still was an uneasy feeling in Celine's gut. Though Gimli's incessant rocking of the boat could have also caused it.

"Gimli!" Celine hissed as she grabbed onto the edge of the boat for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Stop squirming so much! Do you want to tip us over?!"

The dwarf suddenly turned around to face the mortal woman, effectively shaking the boat once again. "Stop. It." Celine growled as she hung on for dear life. "I, for one, would like to remain in the boat."

Gimli rolled his eyes and turned back around to the front. All was fine for a few moments until Gimli purposefully shifted his weight side to side. The boat tottered to the side, dipping dangerously close to the waters edge.

"GIMLI!" Celine shrieked as she thought the dwarf was squirming again.

Suddenly though Celine heard the gentle laughter of the elf behind her as he threw his head back in mirth. The dwarf in front of her also began to laugh and the woman's shriek. It finally dawned upon Celine that Gimli had been rocking the boat on purpose. Trying to fight back her grin Celine scolded the dwarf for his disregard for the safety of the passengers.

"Do you want to go swimming in this river?!" Celine cried out as Gimli gave another violent jerk of the boat.

"Ye worry too much." The dwarf waved the woman's comment off. "We are not going to tip."

"You obviously haven't taken a physics course." Celine remarked as she continued to grip the sides of the boat tightly.

"Fee-seeks?" The dwarf had never heard such a word. "What is this fee-seeks you speak of?"

"I'll tell you if you stop rocking the boat."

The dwarf gruffed and gave no reply and despite his curiosity, he did not demand an answer. Not much else was said throughout the day and despite the beauty along the river, there wasn't much else to entertain them with. Celine still bickered and smacked Gimli whenever he shifted too much. While Legolas engaged in little conversation with them, his eyes were always peeling the shore as he could see a distance away that the Uruk-Hai were following them. He knew that Aragorn had been informed of them being tracked by Lord Celeborn. But he wished not to alert the others as of yet, it would cause unnecessary unease.

They had traveled far enough down river that Aragorn deemed it wise to go to shore for the night. Aragorn directed his boat ahead of the others and beckoned the other two to land as he had along the river's edge. Aragorn jumped out of his boat and pulled it closer to the shore to cease the water from causing it to drift off during the night. Boromir and Legolas soon followed suit and pulled the boats onto part of the land.

The rest of the passengers clambered out into the shallow water. Only the hobbits didn't seem bothered by the sudden wetness since they never wore shoes in the first place. The same could not be said for Celine who held back a shiver and a curse word as the water soaked her boats.

It had been a long day, but none of them were nearly as tired as they would have been if they had walked the distance. Sam had gotten to work on creating a decent meal for them tonight. Thankfully they had restocked in Lothlórien and were able to start a fire this night.

Boromir and Legolas collected sticks while the Celine and the hobbits tried to assist Sam in his cooking. Though Sam seemed adamant about keeping Merry and Pippin away while he cooked because they tended to put more in there mouth that they put in the stew.

Celine offered her assistance to Sam as well and soon figured out that her skills in cooking lacked severely, so instead he asked her to wash the few vegetables that had been provided from the elves. Since they wanted to make the vegetables last, they only used two potatoes and two carrots for this meal. Honestly Celine didn't care how few vegetables they used because despite being an adult, she still hated her greens.

As the elf and man came back, a small fire soon began to light up the camp as the sun had ceased to shine some hours ago. Celine delivered the necessary vegetables back to Sam and he began to chop them with great precision and speed. Sam could always be seen taking side glances at Frodo who did little else besides stare at the water and watch as the moon reflected off the glistening ripples.

The mortal woman took a glance at Frodo before quickly averting her eyes. The hobbit carried a great burden and the stares of his companions would do little to relieve him. Celine instead moved her gaze to look out at the rippling waters as well. Her eyes caught movement though a log floating down the river to be more specific. While the sight should not have alarmed her, there was movement from behind the log. Long, bony fingers stretched out across the bark and golf-ball sized eyes peered over towards the Fellowship.

Sitting up straighter, Celine narrowed her eyes at the figure as if she somehow knew what it was. There was something significant about this creature, but she did not know what.

"It is Gollum."

Celine jumped as she was startled by the melodic sound of Legolas' voice behind her. Turning around and craning her neck up, she saw that Legolas was also staring at the creature he had called Gollum. "He has been amongst us since our journey through Moria."

"Gollum." Celine whispered looking back to the creature who began to lower its head behind the log. It must have known they realized he lurked within the water; especially since there was an elf amongst them who had the greatest of eyesight's of all the races.

Legolas lowered himself to the ground beside where she sat, as his pack had been laid there since they had landed. "Why is he following us?" Celine asked though she had a twisting feeling in her gut that she knew why he was following them.

"He craves the Ring as it is little else of what he speaks of." The elf replied.

It finally clicked in her where she had heard the name "Gollum" before. In the Hobbit trilogy the pathetic creature engaged in a battle of wits with the hobbit Bilbo. Celine couldn't recall much of the interaction, as she had not seen the film in two years. But she recalled the end result where Bilbo had taken the Ring and Gollum's anguish cry rang through the Goblin tunnels.

"He remained in my father's kingdom for some time." Legolas voice cut through the silence. Celine turned her head so she could look at the elf who spoke. "Aragorn had brought the creature to remain under guard in the Mirkwood realm. But alas we showed too much kindness to the creature as it escaped from our clutches and into the wood."

Celine licked her chapped lips as she listened to Legolas speak. Her mind began to tingle once more as the mention of Gollum's escape. True that the creature was not someone to be taken lightly, something about him made her mind tingle in anticipation. "I think it was for the better." The elf turned his gaze to the woman who was startled by the hard look in his eyes. "I-I think there is a greater role for Gollum to play in this story. I'm not sure what…but call it a gut feeling." Celine stuttered nervously as she fingered the chain around her neck. "I've made the mistake of despising someone when in fact they were one of the good guys. Not that I'm saying Gollum is a good guy!" She rushed out as she realized that she was tripping over her words. "Or err- a good creature. Just maybe there's something more? Or I could just be blabbing and making a fool of myself. That's probably more likely."

A moment passed before the elf smiled lightly and shook his head as the woman tried to stumble her way around the conversation. "Your words have not wounded me. It is as you say, perhaps there is more to his tale then it would seem. I carry not the ability of foresight, so all remains dark to me as well."

The mortal woman nodded and squirmed a bit in her seated position. She looked out towards the water again and was shocked to see that Gollum was no longer amongst the flowing river. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the elf's melodic voice once again. "Do you know the tale of Silmaril?" Legolas asked as he could still see the woman flipping the jewel around the chain.

"Oh." Celine looked down at the jewel and dropped her hand from it. "No I don't. I just thought it was just some metaphor of me finding my way home or something."

"I know not Lady Galadriel's purpose for giving you the gem, but it is an honor among the elves." Legolas said. "There were only three ever created and where the other two are, we do not know."

"What do they do?"

"It is said amongst the elves that the three Silmaril's weave the fate of Arda."

Celine didn't understand half of what this elf was saying, which was nothing new to be honest. "Who is Arda?"

Legolas laughed quietly. "It is not who but what. Arda is another name for Middle Earth. It is spoken that those who hold malicious intent within their heart cannot touch the stone without being burned."

Celine whipped her head around so sharply she heard it crack a few times. "She gave me something that could have essentially melted my skin?! How could she have possibly known it wouldn't burn me?!"

"The Lady of Light is named as such." The elf spoke and he stared at the bewildered woman. "She can see into the hearts of many and see if they lack light. She would not have let you pass into the wood if she thought you were a dark creature."

"Well… I'm glad for that I guess." Celine grumbled still a little put off. Does this mean that if she ever holds a dark thought again that the stone would burn her? If so, when she got back home she would have to take it off before she would see Brittany.

Unbeknownst to her, the elf was not only engaging in little conversation with Celine, but he also was listening to the harsh argument occurring between Aragorn and Boromir. Boromir had spotted Gollum along the Anduin and was unnerved by the sighting. Boromir felt strongly about passing through Minis Tirith, but alas Aragorn denied his claim. Though Aragorn was not the only one who wished to avoid the city of men.

While Legolas held no ill will towards men, he knew that they were a greedy and torn race. Not all those amongst men are filled with honor and grace. As an elfling he had heard the tales and seen the horrors that the race of men brought upon neighboring human settlements. His father had little patience for humans and did not wish to enter further turmoil by engaging them. Relations with Laketown were still strong, but his father always played his pieces carefully so his people would always get something in return.

Soon Aragorn emerged from the shadows and left Boromir to his thoughts. The rest of the Fellowship knew nothing of what had transpired; perhaps it had been for the best too. Aragorn caught Legolas' eye and nodded his head towards the elf, signaling everything was all right.

Celine noticed Aragorn's nod towards Legolas and she looked between the two as if there was some sort of translated between the two. "Problem?" She asked looking towards the elf.

Legolas shook his head lightly. "Nay."

Liar.

"Uh-huh." The woman nodded unconvinced but said nothing more on the topic.

The night passed and soon everyone awoke and began to pack the boats so they could drift down the river once more. Once again Celine could be seen exchanging angry words with the dwarf as she threatened "to castrate him if he felt the need to make the boat tip in the slightest manner."

The dwarf waved her off. "I would think ye were afraid of the water."

"Ha!" Celine rolled her eyes. "No Gimli, I am not afraid of the water. I for one would be able to swim, and not sink." Celine eyed Gimli in all his armor. "I may be afraid of what lurks in the water though."

"What do you mean?" Pippin asked as he glanced up from his chore of packing his sack.

"Well for starters, let's just discuss how cute sharks are with their rows of razor sharp teeth." The woman replied sarcastically. "Or how about whales which are so large they could flatten a city!" Slight exaggeration on her part.

"What?!" Merry exclaimed. "Never have I heard of such creatures!"

"Tis because she is fibbing!" The dwarf shook his head. "There are no beast as large as she says."

Celine grinned. "I can't wait to meet your elephants here. Want to make a bet?"

The dwarf eyed the woman suspiciously. "What sorts?"

"I bet that your elephant from Middle Earth could flatten a town. In one charge."

"I know not of this 'elephant' you speak of."

The woman nodded her head. "You will when you see it. When I'm proven right."

The dwarf laughed. "Never bet with a dwarf lassie! You shall never come out victorious!"

"Laugh while you can. Listen, if either of us wins, the other can ask the individual to do something, anything or sorts. Within reason of course. Like I could carry your axes for a day if I lose." Celine said. "Or I could make you carry me for part of the journey."

The dwarf eyed the woman suspiciously, as if she were going to snatch his axes right now. "Very well."

"Awesome!" Celine clapped her hands. "I can't wait. Until then, dwarf, enjoy your sanity while it lasts!" Merry and Pippin exchanged glances as they realized that a dangerous bet had just gone under way. "But, back to more pressing matters- Boromir!" Celine called out to the man who was packing his boat. "I'll trade you a dwarf for a hobbit!"

Boromir chuckled and shook his head slightly. "My lady, I dare not offer you a response for I am sure it would further spite the dwarf."

"How about a dwarf for two hobbits?"

"I am not a dwarf to be bargained with lassie!" Gimli growled and narrowed his eyes at the woman. Boromir laughed once again as her face formed a scowl.

The day passed in much of the same manner as the last. Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas took up the role of guiding the boats and steered them down the river. Gimli still shook the boat to spite Celine, Merry and Pippin argued over who was rationed more breakfast than the other, while Aragorn's boat remained mostly silent. Once or twice Sam would attempt to engage Frodo in conversation, but it would never last.

The company had reached the landing where Aragorn had decided to spend for the remaining afternoon. Celine was used to only stopping when the sun was setting, as they all could not go down the river in darkness. But she knew better than to question the ranger, he knew what he was doing.

They unpacked the boats once more and Sam began to go about his rucksack, looking to make a lunch for the Fellowship plus one. Merry volunteered to go grab fallen wood from nearby to begin the fire. Celine sighed as she dropped unceremoniously to the ground. There was truly very little to do to pass the time in Middle Earth. God she wished she had her IPhone so she could play Angry Birds.

Gimli sat against a large rock and began to click a special sort of stone together to spark a flame in his pipe. Pippin sat nearby to him while Aragorn walked towards the shore with Legolas in tow. "We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." The ranger spoke while looking out towards the water.

"Oh, yes?" The dwarf scoffed taking the pipe out of his mouth. "It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands far as the eye can see."

Pippin who was sitting near the dwarf looked terrified at the prospect of covering the lands the dwarf spoke of. Celine would have laughed at the sight if she were not mirroring his expression as well.

Aragorn looked down at the dwarf and nodded. "That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."

Though the ranger meant what he said earnestly, Gimli bristled as his comment. "Recover my…?!" Gimli let out a little growl before turning to look at the hobbit seated near him. "Recover strength? Pay no heed to that, young hobbit."

Celine rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stretched her limbs. Her legs were cramped in the boat and she had the being she needed to pop a few joints to relieve their ache. As this whole situation was going on, Legolas was speaking in low voices with Aragorn as they gestured towards the water. But all talk stopped as one little hobbit came back to the scene with his arms full of wood.

"Where's Frodo?"

Everyone's head whipped up and looked around the camp. Sam immediately rose from his position and swept his eyes over the clearing. "Mr. Frodo?"

Aragorn moved quickly away from the elf and soon notices Boromir's abandoned shield leaning against the trunk of a tree. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach and he grabbed his sword and strapped it to his waist. "Come, Legolas, Gimli, we shall search for our missing hobbit. You four stay with the boats; we shall be back within little time. Keep your weapons close and be attentive. Come my friends!"

Sam looked like he was about to protest but Aragorn gave him no chance as he and the other two followed him quickly into the dense forest. Everything had happened so quickly that Celine was still trying to wrap her head around what was happening.

It was silent for a moment before Sam shook his head violently and leapt to his feet and grabbed his small sword. "Sam!" Merry cried out. "What are you doing? Aragorn told us to stay with the boats!" Sam shook his head and unsheathed his sword.

"I made a promise to Mr. Gandalf." The hobbit said blinking rapidly to conceal his watery eyes as he recalled the wizards face. "I am not going to sit idle until Mr. Frodo is back!" Sam then spun around and ran in another direction from which Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn went.

Celine though all four of them were being complete idiots, five including Frodo. How in the world do they know where they are going? Every fucking tree looks the same and they obviously had no map. Unless Middle Earth inhabitants had a GPS implanted in their brain when they come out of the womb, they were all fucked.

"Do you think he's alright?" Pippin asked quietly as he looked to his cousin.

Merry was still looking out towards the forest, as all was quiet. The leaves looked brilliant in their shades of gold, brown, and orange. The wind swept through the trees and Celine breathed in the fresh air. Everything was at peace except for the current situation the Fellowship found themselves in.

"Sam is right." Merry went over to his pack and withdrew the blade Lady Galadriel had gifted to him. "Frodo could be in danger, did we not agree to come on this quest to help Frodo? What good are we if we left Frodo to die?" Merry stopped talking to look up at Pippin who was completely shocked at what Merry was saying. "Come on Pip, I know that deep down inside you understand."

"Aye, I know what we agreed to do." Pippin nodded slowly. "I don't want to admit it aloud but I pray I must. I am afraid of what we shall encounter."

"I think we all are Pip." Merry nodded and handed Pippin's blade to him.

Pippin grasped the blade and nodded to his cousin. Both of the short hobbits turned to look up at Celine who was still standing there silently. "Celine, we must apologize for leaving you." Merry said. "But please understand that Frodo needs us."

Celine bit her lip, while the hobbits were right, Aragorn would probably not be the happiest Boy Scout to come back and realize that they all disobeyed his request. Celine should know better than the hobbits and she should have tried to persuade them to stay. It would have been the smarter thing to do. But alas, she didn't.

The mortal woman sighed and rubbed her temples. "I won't hold it against you." The hobbits gave her a nervous smile and sprinted off in a completely different direction than the previous two. Celine wanted to bash her head against a tree as it would literally be impossible to find everyone. She had no tracking skills what so ever.

Not having a watch made the waiting game even more nerve-wracking. She was nervous because she was alone; all of her companions left with a weapon, which made her feel like there was danger nearby. Well, danger was always lurking nearby in this world.

Wringing her hands nervously Celine began to pace the small encampment while looking down at her feet. She kicked a few fallen leaves on the ground before she took the time to inspect them. Slowly bending down, Celine picked up a ruby red leaf and spun it by its stem. The familiar tickling began in her mind again and she felt like she was just doused in ice water.

Ripping her gaze away from leaf in her hand, she dropped her eyes to the ground again. The colors, the texture, the smells, the sights, everything was so familiar and so foreign at the same time. Her eyes widened as she recalled her dreams of screams, gore, and battle. Celine didn't know if this was what she had been dreaming about? The only two pieces of familiarity were the colors of the leaves. But that could have been anything? Maybe it was a dream about the past? Like she had before…

Her hands shook slightly and she bit her lip. She didn't know, she didn't _know_! What if something was going to happen? She could provide little aid and would probably only get in the way. Her skills with a blade were minimal; she could barely manage to parry Legolas' attacks.

"So you would abandon them for such a pathetic excuse?" Celine whispered to herself. She moved her gaze to her pack and saw the blade she had been using for the past few weeks. Walking over, she bent down and slowly unsheathed the blade, listening to the metallic "ring" as it left the scabbard. Boy was she going to regret this.

Hastily, Celine put the blade back in her sheath and tightened the belt around her leggings. She was going to go looking for someone from the company; she just wanted to make sure everything was all right. She looked at the three different directions that the Fellowship went and she decided to head in the direction the last two hobbits went.

"I'm just going to end up getting lost." Celine grumbled to herself as she left the camp behind and stepped deeper into the forest. What was strange about her surroundings were that there were fallen structures that either used to resemble a house or statue. Perhaps there had been inhabitants many years ago?

She dragged her fingers across the smooth stone of a statue and brushed against the vines that were growing around it. Keeping her head up and eyes peeled, Celine listened for any movement. She didn't really know what she expected to hear and she didn't know if she should have been comforted by the silence or not.

Moving deeper into the forest was when she heard the sound of pounding against the ground and the clashing of metal. Celine moved her head in every direction trying to pin point where the sounds were coming from but it seemed to bounce around the forest.

Quickening her pace, Celine soon broke into a sprint in the general direction she thought she heard the sounds. Though she should have been running in the opposite direction, away from danger, she felt her feet fly over the earth on their own accord.

There was a mixture of vocals and shouts, but nothing she could make the words out to understand. As she ran through the forest, breathing heavily as she ran up and down hills, she could hear the sounds getting louder. The things she was hearing didn't even sound human. They sounded like gurgled shouts and the pounding of heavily armored feet still beat against the earth.

"Hey! Hey, you! Over here!" Celine skidded to a stop as that was the first piece of vocals that she actually understood. It sounded like Merry shouting at someone to come towards his direction. Pivoting on her heel, Celine raced towards the sound expecting to see the hobbits.

She hauled herself up towards the top of a hill and she was sweating like a beast and panting heavily as she was not made for this sort of physical exertion.

"Hey!"

"Over here!"

"This way!"

Celine grinned as she continued towards the top. It was definitely Merry and Pippin who were yelling at the top of their lungs for whatever reason. Unfortunately Celine was not taking into account that not only were the hobbits' voices getting louder, but the pounding of feet was as well.

"It's working!"

"I know it's working! Run!"

Celine grinned as she burst through the underbrush and looked up and towards her left to see two curly haired figures racing madly through the forest. They were weaving in and out of trees and bushes, jumping over logs as they made it to the crest of the small hill.

The woman laughed out loud at the frantic movement of the two hobbits. "Merry! Pippin!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted towards them. They froze slightly and looked up in horror at the woman. "Where's the fire?" Celine laughed again.

Merry and Pippin recovered quickly from their shock and began to sprint again, except this time they were running towards her while shouting at her. Their voices were shouting over each other so Celine couldn't understand what they were saying. When she opened her mouth to ask what was making them run like mad, she understood completely as dark figures began to trickle like ants out of an anthill.

She had thought the goblins in Moria were terrifying creatures that were grotesque and vile. But she had never seen an orc, but she Aragorn had taken the time to explain the spawns of Morgoth. But these looked much larger and much more fearsome than the orcs Aragorn described.

They were extremely large, perhaps even taller and wider than Boromir. Their skin looked inky and hadn't touched a drop of water. They held large swords that were tapered off towards the end in the shape of an "L." Celine's jaw dropped as her heart plummeted to her feet. They were all running towards Celine and the hobbits with the intent to slaughter them where they stood.

"Oh." She croaked. "That is much worse than a fire."

"Run!" Merry screamed at Celine. The woman needed no more encouragement as the hobbits finally reached her and the three of them sprinted into the forest in any direction that they didn't see the creatures come from. But there were so many and as the three of them flew over a stone bridge, Celine and Pippin skidded to a stop before they run into Merry who ceased his running.

Coming over the crest of the hill in front of them, more of the dark creatures came barreling towards them. They were screaming and had their swords raised high above their head. The hobbits had their swords drawn but still looked deathly afraid. Celine was no better but she fumbled with her sword before drawing it and holding it in the grip Legolas had taught her. She was so scared, she was no warrior. Gritting her teeth, Celine bit back the small tears that were forming in her eyes. She refused to die here; she was going to get home.

A large orc came towards the three of them with a sharp axe raised in position to come bearing down on the hobbits. Merry and Pippin were frozen in fear, this was nothing like they had faced in Moria, they were alone with the mortal woman who knew just as little about sword fighting as they did.

The creature was so close to the three of them that it swung it's axe down upon them and just at the moment, when time seemed to freeze, a familiar body came barreling in front of them and had his sword drawn. The man blocked the axe's descent and grunted as he pushed the large creature back before sinking his blade into the neck.

"Boromir!" Celine gasped as she saw the thing fall dead to the ground. It was enough to shake Celine out of her shock and raised her blade higher above her waist as more of the orcs came barreling towards them. Merry and Pippin began to slice away at the lower portions of the torso of the enemy. Celine was taller than them so she tried to aim for the neck or arms while also trying to avoid the tip of their blade. Her enemy was so large though that she didn't even try blocking its blade. Instead as the enemy swung the sword, she sidestepped the best she could, much like she had done in Moria. Only this time, these creatures were not as dumb and clumsy as the goblins.

Celine was running on adrenaline with every slash she took at the orc. She barely managed to avoid the tip of its blade while attempting to make swings of her own. Remembering what Legolas had taught her, Celine kept her eyes focused on the entire orc, not just on what she was trying to hit.

Sidestepping its blade once more, Celine saw an opening and she stabbed her blade into the neck of the orc. The blade sunk easily into its inky flesh and she managed to wrench it out successfully. She learned her lesson while in Moria. Her victory was short lived as more and more orcs came barreling down the hill. Carcasses of orcs lay at their feet, mostly due to Boromir's swordsmanship skills but even he knew he could fight them all.

"We cannot fight them all!" Boromir shouted. "We must try to out run them!" He urged the woman and two hobbits forward as he brought up the rear. Celine led them in a general direction away from the enemy, but she truly had no idea where was safe.

Suddenly three loud horn sounds echoed through the forest. Turning around briefly, Celine spotted Boromir blowing quickly into his horn before sprinting after them again. She was not watching where she was going but she felt a body slam into hers and with a cry she tumbled to the ground. But no sooner than the weight had descended on her, it was gone in an instant. Boromir had heaved the orc off of her and sliced its neck open.

Again Boromir blew into his horn three times before he had to defend himself again. Celine scrambled back to her feet and looked around as the orcs seemed to coming from every which way. Boromir was already slicing the limb off another before stabbing it in the gut. It squealed in before it lay dead on the bloodied ground.

Following his lead, Celine too engaged another orc. Though her method of kill was far less glorious than his. She took much longer and her moves were too jerky and not fluid like the Boromir's. But again she managed to sink the blade into her enemy, splattering its disgusting, putrid blood on her hands, clothes, and a bit on her face.

"Run!" Boromir bellowed. He pushed the hobbits and woman to go in front of him while he again tried to kill off the orcs that were still swarming them. Celine skidded to a stop as she heard the clash of metal and turned to see that Boromir was barely holding his own. He swiftly hacked limbs, decapitated, and stabbed each creature that came within his range. But his strength would not last.

Merry and Pippin stooped low and began hurling palm-sized rocks towards the orcs that were racing towards Boromir in attempts to slow them down. Miraculously, it worked. They were knocked to the floor in a bit of a daze but still managed to get up after a few moments.

The tickling in Celine's mind increased and her heart began to beat erratically. Though her heart was not beating out of fear of the battle, no, something far more sinister was about to occur. Her chest constricted and eyes looked around wildly towards the hobbits and than back towards Boromir.

Celine moved towards Boromir and stabbed an orc in the back as it had tried to slay Boromir from behind. Moving her blade across the limbs of her enemy, her arms became weary with exhaustion but she could not stop now. Her blade moved against her enemy and the more that came, the more difficult it became to defend herself.

Her brow was slick with sweat and her palms were getting sticky with the black blood of her enemies. Celine grit her teeth and pushed through and fought like she never had before. But her movements were getting lethargic and her enemy swiped their sword across the top of her shoulder. Celine hissed in pain but it was not too deep, or at least she hoped it wasn't.

None of them saw the large, fearsome Uruk-Hai at the top of the hill. He was larger than the others and he had a white handprint on his face. Its teeth were pointed and yellow and a large black bow was in its hands. The beast knocked a sizeable, black shaft and drew it back towards the corner of its mouth. As soon as its hand released its grip, the sound of the arrow impacting flesh drew the hobbits and Celine's attention towards Boromir.

The shock was evident on the man's face as he staggered backwards from the impact of the arrow. Celine's face paled as she looked at the wretched arrow that protruded from the man's body. Time seemed to slow down as she watched Boromir take a few gulps of air before he fell to his knees. The arrow was so deep and so close to his heart that Celine had no idea how he could even manage to draw breath. But with a cry so mighty that Celine felt her body quake, Boromir rose from the ground and struck the oncoming orcs.

The man swiped his blade across his enemies as if the arrow was not even embedded in his flesh. He slay orc after orc but another arrow cut through the air and struck Boromir in the stomach. Celine cried out in anger and despair as she saw Boromir lurch back a bit. She made a move towards the fallen man but another orc lay way in her path. It swung down its heavy sword and Celine was forced to raise her small blade up and block it. The orc had strength that far succeeded her own and it was mere seconds before the blade flew from her hands and into the dirt to her right. Celine stepped back slightly and her eyes widened in fear as the orc stabbed towards her, but its movement ended halfway.

Boromir, with two arrows in his body, pierced the orc through the back and into its heart. Celine looked up towards the man and saw the pain etched across his face. His movements were slower as he barely managed to block the oncoming blade of an orc. As he slay the beast, the third arrow made its mark on his body.

Screams and cries echoed through the land louder than anything before and it took a moment before Celine realized that it was she that was screaming. Her mind felt like it was being pushed against from all different directions as the scene before her looked so familiar. Her heart was pounding as she watched the man collapse onto his knees for a third time, only this time, he had not the strength to get up.

Merry and Pippin stared in horror at the man who had defended them with no regard to his own life. They screamed in anger and raised their swords and rushed into the fray of oncoming orcs. The woman searched the ground for her blade as well but she felt a metal glove punch her gut and the air was knocked out of her. A stinging sensation burned her cheek as she soon found herself sprawled across the forest floor.

Her breaths were shaky and her head spun due to the blow. Something wet and metallic tasting filled her mouth and made her cough in attempts to dispel the vile liquid. Her voice failed her as she tried to cry out to Merry and Pippin as they were lifted up by the orcs. They were taking the hobbits! Celine struggled to push herself off of the forest floor but the orcs were running past them and they paid no heed to the woman on the ground. She felt metal boots scrape against her body and collide with her flesh.

She cried out weakly as something hit her chest and caused her to turn over. She cracked open her eyes and took in shaky breaths as she saw that the orcs were thinning out. She saw Boromir kneeling on the ground and looking up at the Uruk-Hai that was walking slowly towards the man.

Celine couldn't begin to understand how her body had received such strength at that moment. Watching the hobbits being carried away by the Uruk-Hai while listening to their cries was agonizing. Hearing the thud of the arrows impale Boromir's body had been heart wrenching. She dug her palms into the earth and half-ran half-stumbled in front of Boromir. Her back was to Boromir as she stood in front of him, directly in the path of the Uruk-Hai. Her body trembled and her eyes blurred with tears at what had transpired over the last few minutes.

"Do not Celine." Boromir tried to growl and usher the woman away. "Move! Do not so needlessly throw your life away!"

Tears began to trickle down her face as she shook her head stubbornly. "I will not." She whispered harshly. "I will not abandon you so lightly!" She turned her head around to look at Boromir and gave him a watery smile. "Haven't you realized by now that I am a stubborn woman?"

The creaking of a bow drew her attention back to the Uruk-Hai in front of her. Though she may have been trying to mask her fear in front of the creature, it knew how deathly afraid she was. It grinned at the prospect of slaughtering two mortals with just one arrow. She knew there was no point in running; she would be shot on the spot. She was only delaying the inevitable for both of them. She was not going to walk away from this alive, and neither was Boromir.

"I beg you," The man whispered brokenly. "run!"

"I. Will. Not!" Celine bit back.

But before the Uruk-Hai could release his grip on the arrow, a blur of a figure shot by and tackled the creature the ground with a cry. The arrow was released but imbedded itself in the ground and Celine watched in horror as Aragorn tumbled to the ground and the Uruk-Hai forced the man against a tree. Her breath came in gasps as she had come so close to a sure death that she could only watch in horror as a sword was thrown in Aragorn's neck and held him against the trunk of the tree.

The Uruk-Hai let out a roar as it charged towards the man prepared to decapitate Aragorn's head. The ranger managed to squeeze his head out just before the blade made contact with the tree. Though his victory was short lived the creature flipped Aragorn over and swung his sword down.

Barely managing to avoid the blade once more, Aragorn kicked the Uruk-Hai and grabbed his dagger and sunk it into the thigh of the creature. Howling in what Celine assumed was pain, the creature delivered a solid punch to Aragorn's jaw. Grabbing the stunned man from the ground, the Uruk-Hai crashed its skull with Aragorn's, leaving him slightly dazed from the impact.

Watching the man tumble to the forest floor again, Celine shook herself out of her revere and spotted one of the hobbits discarded blades. Choking back a sob, Celine dove for the blade and before she knew it, she threw the blade with all her might towards the creature.

The woman was pleased to see that the blade found its mark, but it sunk itself in the lower abdominal flesh. Not nearly injuring it enough to the point of death. But as the creature howled again, its attention snapped back towards the battered woman who was still attempting to catch her breath.

While its attention was distracted for a moment, Aragorn grabbed his sword and engaged in a much harsher sword fight than he had been doing before. The Uruk-Hai may have had great strength, but Aragorn held his wit about him and it was only a matter of time before the ranger decapitated the Uruk-Hai.

Celine watched as Aragorn panted slightly before immediately returning his gaze to the woman and the man lying against the ground. Celine turned around slowly and watched as Aragorn rushed past her to the fallen man with three arrows in his body.

"No." Aragorn whispers as he looks as the damage that is done. Celine bit her lip to keep the sobs from loudly escaping her. She held onto a false hope that Aragorn could some remove the arrows and perhaps stitch his wounds. But seeing the defeated look in the ranger's eyes, she knew that there was nothing else to be done.

Boromir seemed to be struggling to breath, whether it was from the adrenaline coursing through his body or whether blood was filling his lungs, Celine tried not to think about it. "They took the little ones." He rasped looking up at Aragorn.

"Hold still." The ranger spoke quietly still looking at the arrow puncture wounds.

"Frodo. Where is Frodo?" Boromir continued to try to speak despite the difficulty he had while breathing.

Aragorn paused what he was doing and looked at Boromir in the eye before diverting his gaze. "I let Frodo go."

"Then you did what I could not." Boromir gasped looking somewhat ashamed. "I tried to take the Ring from him."

Aragorn shook his head as he knew the dying man before him placed too much blame on himself. "The Ring is beyond our reach now."

"Forgive me. I did not see it. "I have failed you all." The man choked out.

"No Boromir, you have fought bravely. You have kept your honor."

But as Aragorn reached towards the arrows in Boromir's body, Boromir gripped her arm tightly, ceasing his movement. "Leave it! It is over. The world of Men will fall. And all will come to darkness, and my city to ruin."

At this moment, Aragorn seemed to realize that there was truly nothing that could be done. The arrows had pierced one of the man's lungs while the others were too close to the heart and the other twisted darkly in the stomach. He had already lost too much blood and he would not recover from this battle. Knowing how much Boromir cared for the great city, Aragorn tried to ease the man's mind. "I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail."

"Our people?" Boromir repeated Aragorn's statement in a questioning manner before he truly realized what a great man stood before him. "Our people." At this moment, Celine heard feet scramble across the fallen leaves and she turned to see Legolas and Gimli arrive at the scene. She was thankful not to see any wounds on their persons, but her joy didn't last long as she saw both her comrade's gaze flitter over to the lying figure by Aragorn. Legolas' face looked somber as he too realized that there was nothing left to be done for the man. Gimli tilted his head down avoiding the gaze's of his companions.

Reaching over towards his discarded sword, Aragorn placed it in Boromir's hand and he raised it to his chest and smiled at the ranger before him. "I would have followed you, my captain. My brother. My king."

It was the last breath Boromir ever took. The last page of his story. Aragorn leaned close to his fallen comrade and kissed him gentle on the brow before closing his lids. "Be at peace son of Gondor."

Standing up, Aragorn's face was turned away from Celine, Legolas, and Gimli. If he had been facing them, the other would have seen a tear cascade down his solemn face. "They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return." The son of Gondor had passed on into a better life, where there was not an inch of darkness within its realm.

Legolas could plainly see the pain reflected in his friend's eyes as Aragorn finally turned to look at those who remained on the Fellowship. "We shall not let him lie among the fallen orcs and Uruk-Hai, come. Help me lay his body to rest in one of our boats. We shall let him pass down the Anduin and perhaps he shall make it back to his land."

The elf and the man went to the fallen body and knelt to the ground. Celine watched as there hands moved towards the arrows in Boromir's body, but she felt a hand on her fore arm and pulled her lightly around. "Tis nothing that should have to be seen lassie." She heard Gimli say. Celine looked down at the dwarf and Gimli pulled her lightly away from the scene. "Come, let us gather the boats."

Celine nodded numbly and followed the dwarf away from the scene. She was thankful that Gimli realized that she probably couldn't handle the sight of Boromir's body any longer than she had to. She felt like she wouldn't have been able to stomach watching Legolas and Aragorn pull the arrows out of the man's flesh.

Gimli and Celine arrived at the boats and noticed one of them was gone. Across the river they could see Sam and Frodo climbing out of their boat and heading into the wood. The dwarf sighed but said nothing of it as he set about emptying one of the other boats of their supplies. Celine shook herself out of her gaze and moved to help the dwarf. She pulled out the few leaf parcels of lembas bread they had and set them on the shore.

It was a few minutes later that Celine watched as Aragorn and Legolas arrived carrying Boromir's body and his sword. The man was cleaned of the dirt and blood on his person and laid ever so carefully in the boat. Positioning his arms and shield around Boromir, Aragorn pushed the boat into the river.

A the boat drifted down the river, the four of them watched as it finally tumbled over the water fall and out of their eyesight. Their eyes were cast down, each mumbling their own prayer for the fallen. A moment passed until Legolas was the first to move towards the last boat and push it into the water.

"Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." Legolas said as he pushed the boat out. Celine was about to follow until she looked to Aragorn and Gimli who had not moved. Aragorn tightened Boromir's braces to his arms before he cast his eyes to the opposite shore where he could see the abandoned boat. It finally clicked in the elf's mind. "You mean not to follow them."

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." Aragorn spoke looking at the three of them.

Gimli shook his head. "Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed."

Celine moved towards Aragorn, as did the dwarf and elf. The three of them stood in front of the ranger and looked up at him. "Not if we hold true to each other." Aragorn shook his head looking at the three of them. "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light. Let's hunt some Orc."

Celine allowed a small smile to grace her face as she looked up to Aragorn who returned her smile. He then took off into the wood. Gimli laughed and charged on after him, leaving only Legolas and Celine in the midst.

"Are you ready?" Legolas looked down at the battered woman who not 10 minutes before looked like she had been dragged through hell and back. She surprised him by allowing a full smile to spread across her lips.

"Try to keep up." Celine then took off after their other two companions. Legolas smiled and shook his head before running after the mortal woman. The Fellowship may be separated, but it was not broken.

* * *

~ ~ Translations ~ ~

_Am meleth dîn, i ant e guil Arwen Undómiel pígatha._ – For her love, I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar will diminish.

_Aníron i e broniatha, ad ae periatham athar i methid en-amar hen._ – I would have her leave these shores and be with her people.

_Aníron i e círatha na Valannor._ – I would have her take the ship to Valinor.

_Namárië_ – Farewell

_Nadath nâ i moe cerich. Dan, ú-'eveditham, Elessar._ – There is much you have left to do. We will not meet again, Elessar.

_Ai! Laurië lantar lassi súrinen, _ – Ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind,_  
yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron! –_ long years numberless as the wings of trees!_  
Yéni ve lintë yuldar avánier – _The long years have passed like swift draughts_  
mi oromardi lissë-miruvóreva_ – of the sweet mead in lofty halls_  
Andúnë pella, Vardo tellumar_ – beyond the West, beneath the blue vaults of Varda_  
nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni_ – wherein the stars tremble_  
ómaryo airetári-lírinen._ – in the voice of her song, holy and queenly._  
Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?—_ Who now shall refill the cup for me?

_An sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëo_ – For now the Kindler, Varda, the Queen of the stars,_  
ve fanyar máryat Elentári ortanë – _from Mount Everwhite has uplifted her hands like clouds_  
ar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulë – _and all paths are drowned deep in shadow_  
ar sindanóriello caita mornië – _and out of a grey country darkness lies_  
i falmalinnar imbë met, – _on the foaming waves between us,_  
ar hísië untúpa Calaciryo míri oialë. – _and mist covers the jewels of Calacirya for ever._  
Sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar! – _Now lost, lost to those of the East is Valimar!_  
Namárië! Nai hiruvalyë Valimar! _– Farewell! Maybe thou shalt find Valimar!_  
Nai elyë hiruva! Namárië!_ – Maybe even thou shalt find it! Farewell!

* * *

~ ~Extra Notes ~ ~

I know I introduced a lot into this chapter but I hope it's all right. And I'll say it again, but I have not read the books, which of course includes "The Silmarillion." I wanted to give Celine a gift that would have significance in the story, and it does. It of course is not made clear quite yet, but you shall see

For those of you who do not know what the Silmaril's are, you are more than welcome to Google it or look it up. I tweaked it slightly to fit more in with my idea and implementation of the stone. But to be honest the background of its creation doesn't really pertain to the story, I just wanted Celine to have a brief understanding that she was not just getting a pretty piece of jewelry. 'Cause lets be honest, that won't help her at all during her journey.

* * *

A/N Can you believe it?! We have finished "The Fellowship of the Ring!" Now we make our way to "The Two Towers" which I am very excited to write about!

Wow I have talked way too much here! Only a few more things I swear! One being that I am not implementing any more songs for a while. I honestly just use them to where they really pertain to the mood. Second is, of course, please review and let me know your thoughts! Thanks and I'll talk to you in the next chapter!


	15. Back up Secretariat

A/N Well here is the very first chapter of the second installment "The Two Towers!" I am so excited to get this story rolling but forgive me for the time it takes to get each chapter out

Tailor of our Hearts: Thank you for your review! I appreciate the feedback and trust me, she's going to get better as time progresses. Please enjoy this chapter!

Arya Tremaine: Oh you are right! Thank you for letting me know. I appreciate it! Please enjoy this update!

niceracheal: I'm glad you like it so much! I hope you like this chapter!

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please continue to review because it makes my day!

Nothing belongs to me except my OC Celine and Puggles. The rest comes from the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R Tolkien or the adapted screenplay by Peter Jackson. And by no means am I a Tolkien expert, please message me if I have anything completely wrong.

Without any further delay, let us begin.

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**Chapter 15**

Ever since they had started on their journey to rescue the hobbits, something felt off with Celine. There was a tightening feeling in the pits of her stomach, like a coil that was being pulled tighter and tighter. It wasn't necessarily a painful feeling, but she felt…strange.

The mortal woman, ranger, elf, and dwarf had been running across the land for what seemed like hours. There was little time to delay as the Uruk-Hai had a head start of them. The terrain had thinned out and they were no longer sprinting through the forest. The land had flattened out and the four of them found themselves on flatter land with large boulders protruding from the ground.

They had been running for countless hours with very little rest in between. Pushing aside her strange sensations, Celine tried to focus solely on her feet. The only thing that kept Celine putting one foot in front of the other was the imagining the horrors Pippin and Merry would be subjected to if they did not reach them in time. Where ever they were heading.

Aragorn led the four of them and Legolas ran behind him, then Celine followed suit with the dwarf in tow. Celine's shoulder stung with each movement of pumping her arms but she tried to push the pain to the side. Aragorn had tended to her shoulder before they set out after the hobbits and he had also attended to himself. Once again the elf only sustained minimal bruising and the dwarf was wearing so much armor Celine was almost positive that the dwarf would never be impaled by a blade.

The leader of their small company slowed to a stop at the top of a hill and looked out at the valley. He turned to see Legolas, Celine, and Gimli quickly ascend the hill and stop by his side. "We shall rest here for the next few hours." Aragorn said. "The light of day is fading and it would not be wise to travel in the dark lest we be led astray."

Celine and the dwarf could only nod in agreement as they were still trying to catch their breath. The only person among them who could actually continue to journey on in the dark would be Legolas as his 20/20 vision never seemed to fail him.

The four of them moved closer to a jagged boulder to block some of the nightly gusts that were bound to send a chill through their bodies during the night. Aragorn had told them that building a fire would be too risky to sustain the entire night, so they would only have it for a few hours before they needed to douse it.

Like the ranger had said, they had traveled lightly, only taking what they truly needed. Celine eased herself onto the ground and stretched out her legs in front of her. The last thing she wanted was her muscles to tense up and cause cramps, which would be extremely painful and could possibly hinder her movement the next day.

There was little to use as a means of fire propellant so there truly was a small fire. The four of them sat down around the fire and Legolas volunteered to take first watch because he knew his companions needed more rest than him. Aragorn nodded in acknowledgement of his statement and lowered himself down next to Celine.

"I would like to redress your wound." The ranger said. "I doubt our long trek has allowed it much comfort."

Celine was about to shrug but she caught herself just in time and gave Aragorn a sheepish grin. "It's not that bad." The young woman shimmied her tunic vest over her head, with Aragorn's help, and began to pull one arm out of her shirt but was stopped by Aragorn's hand.

"You need not remove your shirt, I shall merely look at your wounds wrapping." Before she could answer Aragorn looked through the cut in her shirt and examined the bandage in the sun's fading light. Celine tired to swat his hands away a few times when the ragged ranger poked and prodded too much.

"It must be done, I fear for infection or even worse, poison." Aragorn said as he began to poke too close to her wound causing her to yelp.

"Yeah well that hurts." Celine growled trying to move Aragorn's hand away once more. "How about I start poking your arm with a stick? Think you'll feel so peachy then?" She moved to swipe at Aragorn's bandaged arm but the man moved away quickly with a small chuckle.

"I think you are well enough for now, your movement does not seem to be hindered in the least." The ranger moved away again as Celine took another swipe at his arm.

A tap on her good shoulder drew her attention away from Aragorn as she saw Legolas holding out a piece of lembas bread in his hand. Taking the small piece from him, Celine placed the sweet bread in her mouth and chewed a little. It wasn't the worst tasting food she ever had, but she much preferred Sam's cooking.

Not many words were exchanged that night and Celine did not even attempt to engage in further conversation. She was exhausted, her legs felt heavy like lead and her muscles felt fatigued and over worked, but she dare not voice her complaints. Luxury was something she knew she was not going to get much of once she departed Lothlórien.

She lay down near the dying embers of the fire and soon the only source of light was the stars flickering in the sky and the small embers that were seeping into the ash. Taking one more glance around her companions, she noted that Gimli was already fast asleep while Aragorn was speaking in low voices with Legolas. Celine didn't even bother to try eavesdropping, she just let her eyelids shut and let her mind drift off in an attempt to deviate from the sorrow they had experienced. She prayed that she would not dream of the shadows that seemed to lurk in the corners of her mind. Nor of Boromir's last stand.

Though her eyelids were shut she could not force her mind to cease its turmoil. She heard feet move over the grass and listened to the figure lower themselves to the ground. Her eyelids were still closed so she just had to assume that it was Aragorn who was resting.

It took some time, but Celine finally felt herself relax and become drowsier. She felt herself drift off into the darkness. Celine felt like she must have been dreaming, her body felt whole and the bottoms of her feet were standing on dry grass. She saw nothing but darkness but then she noticed that her eyelids were closed. There was light beyond her lids, she could tell as there seemed to be a glow within the blackness.

Slowly, Celine opened her eyes and she was assaulted by bright sunlight streaming across the land. It looked similar to the terrain that she had been running on. The rolling hills and the green grass beneath her toes. The wind blew steadily, blowing the loosened strands of her hair in front of her face. Noise began to flood her ears and she was confused for a moment, but she turned around to look behind her and saw a small village with people screaming and crying out to one another. They were rushing around and pushed those that were in their way.

Willing her body to move towards the village she listened to the cries of children and the stamping of horses as they seemed unsettled by something. Celine's bare feet moved silently across the grass wondering what was causing her to be able to see, see everything in her dream. Was this the past? Was this just her imagination conjuring images in her mind to some how convey a sign? Or was this her mind playing a nasty trick to give her a disturbing scene to haunt her dreams?

Making her way over to a sobbing old woman who was kneeing on the ground with her gaze out towards the land, Celine knelt beside her and offered an unsure smile. The older woman wasn't even bothering to look at Celine as her eyes were trained on the landscape before them. She seemed to be praying to whatever gods would listen to her.

"Um, may I ask-." Celine reached out to touch the older woman's shoulder and an icy chill went through her fingertips and seemed to creep up her arm until it chilled her heart. Her hand had gone through the old woman's shoulder; similar to how he hobbits had run threw her body. While the feeling was something that she had experienced before, Celine was not prepared for it and withdrew her hand quickly from the woman.

"Oh Valar have mercy!" The woman cried and a few tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. "Spare us the pain and suffering! Protect those of us who run! Guide my children and welcome us into your halls!"

Celine stumbled back onto her unsteady feet and moved her gaze from the kneeling woman to the villages behind her. The people were still scrambling to load items onto their horses and mothers could be seen cradling their crying children.

It was then Celine felt a rumbling in the ground, like a great stampede was coming over the plains. The young mortal woman was almost too afraid to turn around, afraid to confirm the fear of the enemy approaching. She slowly turned and was disturbed to see what was running towards them. It was a large group of what looked like human men, they were dirty and ill intent seemed to ooze out of their pores. Celine didn't understand why these men were running towards them with loud battle cries of words she could not understand. What she could understand were that these men that were coming towards the village did not have innocent intents.

Finally putting the pieces together, Celine cried out towards the woman. "Get up!" Celine whipped her head back around. "Do not just sit there! Get up! Run! Move!" Celine twisted her head around to see the approaching men were coming closer and closer. Looking back towards the elderly woman Celine tried to grab the woman's shoulders and shake her. But alas her hands and heart felt nothing but the chill that flowed through her veins.

"Éothain! Éothain!" The strangled cry of a mother drew Celine's attention away from the weeping woman below her. She noticed that a mother was urging her children to run towards her as she tried to hold down a horse by its reins. A little boy and a much younger girl raced towards their mother whom quickly hefted them onto the horse.

"You take your sister. You'll go faster with just two." The mother said to the boy while trying to place the squirming little girl in the saddle in front of the boy.

"Father says Éothain must not ride Garulf! He is too big for him!" The little girl cried out before finally sitting securely in front of her brother.

"Listen to me, you must ride to Edoras and raise the alarm. Do you understand me?" The mother spoke quickly and urgently. Celine moved towards the mother, trying to avoid having the other running villagers pass through her as if she were a ghost. Once Celine was close enough to the family, she could see the fear and uncertainty etched into the mother's face. The children faired no better but Celine could tell that the older boy was withholding his tears to the best of his ability.

"Yes momma." The boys voice warbled as he gave a curt nod.

The little girl was not so accustomed to hiding her tears as Celine's heart constricted as she watched the little girl reach out towards her mother with shaky arms. "I don't want to leave. I don't want to go, mama."

The mother choked back a sob as she had to be brave for her children. Reaching up to her small daughter, the mother placed a quick kiss on her brow. "Freda, I will find you there." The pounding of feet was growing louder and Celine's eardrums were assaulted with the sound of battle cries and a need for blood and death. "Quickly! Go child!" The mother urged the horse to start galloping quickly, leaving her behind with a shattered heart. Celine watched as the small girl, Freda, looked back at her mother with her arms outstretched.

"Keep them safe!" The mother whispered before moving away from the scene and began to run towards the crowd that was also fleeing by foot.

It was then that Celine heard the first blood-curdling scream.

Whipping her head around she saw that the faster of the men had already made it to the village. Moving her eyes towards the sound of the scream, she saw that a sword had been stabbed into the chest of a young male. A woman stood not too far off to the side and was screaming and crying as she watched the man remove the sword from his victim's chest. The body crumpled to the ground and his blood stained the earth red. The killer then moved his blade onto the screaming woman.

Celine shut her eyes quickly and placed her hands over her eyes. Choking back a scream and sob, Celine listened to the sound of a blade slicing through flesh, like a knife going through butter. More screams filled the air as none in the village were spared from the wrath of the enemy. Celine did not bother to step away from the rushing villagers. Chill after chill went through her body as people passed through her again and again.

The orcs and Dunlendings flooded the village and raised their swords and bows to every man, woman, and child. Children were crying out for their mothers and mothers sobbed over their slain children. Fathers made every effort to save their families as they raised anything that could be used as a weapon against the enemy. Celine cried loudly and refused to open her eyes to the scene before her. There was so much death and destruction. She could smell the burning of hay and wood as the enemy set fire to the once peaceful village.

The stench of death was so thick in the air one could choke on it.

Celine didn't know how much time had passed, but the sound of death was growing quieter. No longer did she hear the sound of crying from children and their mothers or the shouts of anger from the men who attempted to fight back. She was too afraid to see the carcasses of the villagers littered on the ground.

Her shoulders shook as her sobs racked her body. Her eyes remained closed and she tried to will her body out of its slumber. Dropping her knees to the earth, Celine tried to curl herself inward in a fetal attempt to displace herself from the scene.

The screams and cries were soon quieting down and being replaced by malicious laughs and dark language. Celine's eyes were still closed and she dared not open them. But there was a sudden thick liquid that began to soak the hem of her dress. It spread quickly through the fabric and Celine could feel a slight stickiness on her legs.

Hiccupping and trying to cease her sobs, Celine cracked her eye's open slowly. Looking down at her once white dress, she looked to the trim of it and saw that a dark ruby red was staining the dress. Her eyes followed the dense liquid trail until it rested on something that made her want to retch and vomit.

A carcass of a young man stared at her form unblinkingly. Blood oozed out of the nasty slice on his neck. The cut was so deep that Celine swore she could see the man's vertebrae in the back of his neck. His head was barely hanging onto the skin that connected him to his body. Celine screamed so loudly that she thought she could hear it echoing across the plains. She screamed in the agony of her heart that could not bear the sight of so many innocent that lie in a puddle of his or her own blood. The blood was thick and slowly making its way across the land. Draining out of the bodies and staining the earth a brilliant red color.

Celine was not sure if it was her screaming that brought her out of her dream, or whether the scene had merely ended. Whatever reason it was, Celine was thankful. Her eyes sprang open and her breath was labored. A few more tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and ran down into her hairline as she stared unblinkingly up towards the sky.

Her hands were shaky as the images of the dead flashed across her eyes. No matter how much death she saw, she was never going to be accustomed to it. The recent fall of Boromir had not been easy to push from her mind. She often reflected on what she and the Fellowship could have done differently to perhaps save the man of Gondor.

No more sleep was going to come to her tonight, not at the expense of such a dream. She would rather be exhausted than see the haunting images of war and the innocent patrons that were apart of it.

Managing to get her breath to a level that did not sound as if she were panting like she had run a marathon, Celine slowly raised herself to a seated position. The sun was not yet rising but there was a little light to be cast from the fading stars to light up a very small portion of their encampment. Glancing to her left and right she could see that the dwarf and ranger were still asleep.

"We still have some time before the sun rises," Celine turned around to see the elf seated not to far from her. "I would urge that you find rest in the remaining time."

The young woman didn't know exactly how to find the words to explain what had kept her up. If she spoke them aloud it would make the whole experience seem that much more real. "I….I am well rested enough." She whispered quietly as she knew the elf would have no trouble hearing her.

The elf studied her silently; he could see the tear stains on her cheeks despite her attempts to wipe them away. Her breath had been labored and her hands shook violently. The way she was acting was different than the way she did in Lothlórien.

"Something plagues your thoughts." Legolas said still looking at the woman. "If I am able, I will try to ease your turmoil." The elf gestured to the ground next to him, silently inviting her to sit beside him as he continued his watch.

Celine slowly got to her feet and moved as quietly as she could next to the elf. Hesitating for just a moment, Celine finally lowered herself to the grass beside Legolas. She drew her cloak around her shoulders in an attempt to keep in her cocoon of warmth.

The elf said nothing but continued to keep his eyes and ears alert. He would not urge to woman to speak until she felt she must. Celine was thankful for this as she raged an internal battle on what she could possibly say to the elf without seeming like a crazy person.

"I um... had a bad dream." As soon as the words left her mouth Celine wanted to smack her skull against the ground. Out of all the ways she could have started the conversation, she chose the road that made her seem like a 8 year old that had a nightmare and wet the bed.

But the elf neither laughed nor even offered the slightest of smirks. He slowly turned to look at the woman and waited for her to continue to speak. Celine's cheeks heated up and avoided his gaze and instead turned to the grass in front of her and allowed her fingertips to lightly graze the tips.

"I-I dreamed of war." Celine whispered. "I saw the burning and slaughter of an entire village on these very plains. Men, women, and children. No one was spared." She swallowed and blinked her eyes rapidly as she tried to keep herself from crying.

"There was so much blood. The earth was stained red in such a thick consistency that it seemed like rivers of gore flowed through the grass. Children were crying for their parents until swords or arrows impaled them. Only then was it silent."

Legolas shook his head sadly. "Such is the nature of war." He spoke after a moment. "Innocents are never spared by the enemy. It is the sad truth that we must face as our journey continues. Tis not a sight I would have anyone see. Let it not hold your heart in sorrow for it was just a dream, and nothing more." He had seen battle numerous times and some would think he would be used to the sight of such, but this was far from the truth. His heart ached more and more as he saw his fellow people lying dead on the battlefield or seeing the innocents caught between the swords of the enemy.

Once Celine had started talking she felt like she couldn't stop. "But it wasn't!" Finally the mortal woman lifted her eyes to meet the crystal blue ones of the Woodland Prince. "I am sure of it!"

Celine stared unwaveringly up at the elf. "I cannot explain because I do not understand it myself. But I… I dream of things that happened in the past. I have seen the hobbits escape from the Nazgul at the start of their journey. It was like I was a ghost; they ran right through me as if I didn't exist. But when I dream of the future, all I get are little bits and pieces of a scene. Nothing is ever revealed to me! I cannot possibly determine what will happen! I had a much better understanding of things when I was back in my world. I feel like I am slowly losing my mind to some sick disease that scrambles what I knew before." The words tumbled out of her lips and once she finished she waited with baited breath at what the elf would say, if he said anything at all. But the next two words that left his mouth were not ones that she were expecting to hear.

"I know."

Celine's eyes widened in shook at the elf. What did he mean by he knew? How could he possibly have known?

Noticing the woman's shock, Legolas moved to assure the woman what he meant. "As time has passed, both in your world and mine, I have learned something very important about you Celine."

Furrowing her eyebrows Celine asked; "Hopefully this is some sort of good positive trait. I can't imagine I have showed you many of those."

Legolas laughed and shook his head. "Aye your way with words are spoken in such a fleeting manner that you took me off guard for more than time. But you have showed characteristics that far out weigh those you deem as negative."

Legolas allowed a ghost of a smile to flitter across his face as he continued to speak. "You are a strong willed woman, you have a clear understanding of what it is you fight for. You offered us warning at the entrance to the mines of Moria. I have seen the way you interact with the hobbits and the fleeting worried glances you casted on Frodo. You feared for them every day. Do not think that I nor Aragorn nor Gimli find you at fault for our company's loss. You are not a woman to stay silent if you truly wish to speak. No matter what Mithrandir has asked of you."

Casting her eyes to the ground, fighting another blush from staining her cheeks, she asked; "What good are dreams of the past and future if they do not provide any help?"

"Perhaps these dreams are providing you with diminutive details in order to paint a broader picture. I can not speak for the Valar for these dreams of yours remain a mystery to me as well." Legolas said. "While these dreams of yours may not seem significant, I urge you to speak of them to myself or Aragorn. Who can say were there may be details in the past that may help us in the present."

"But Gandalf adamantly told me not to speak of the future." Celine glanced up at the elf.

"Mithrandir asked you not to reveal the details of the future," Legolas gave the young woman a small smile. "he said naught of the past. The past may not help us in the future, but learning from mistakes in the past can perhaps bring us to an understanding of the present." The elf moved his gaze away from the woman beside him and looked out towards the now slowly rising sun. "We should wake the others, the sun is rising. We must continue our pursuit."

Somewhat thankful for the closing of the conversation, Celine tried to lighten the mood. "You wake up the dwarf, he has terrible morning breath. Unfortunately I know this from experience." She grinned and quickly moved towards the now stirring ranger.

Before her hand could even touch the ranger's shoulder, Aragorn began to stir and his eyes opened. No doubt he could sense her presence nearby, Celine had no idea how he could sleep so lightly after such a hard day of running yesterday.

Celine stood up and moved away from the ranger whom wiped a hand over his face before following suit and rising to his full height. She glanced over her shoulder to see the dwarf roll onto his side and quickly right himself with his ax is tow.

Not even a minute passed by before they began to speak of the direction they should head. "Tis likely they have yet to deviate from their path. Let us continue towards the direction they headed this past day. Uruk-Hai require little rest, there is not a doubt in my mind that they have gained more distance between us. Let us eat lightly, to run on a full stomach would slow our movement." Aragorn said. He, along with Celine and the others, brought very little with them in the first place and could not fill their bellies to their full extent even if they wanted to.

"Here ya go lass." The dwarf gave Celine a piece of lembas bread and she took it and nibbled on it slowly. The sweetness of the bread gave wonderful flavor to the bread but it was getting old. She took a swig of water pack but wouldn't allow herself to indulge in any more. Celine had no idea when she was going to be able to refill her pack so she tried to drink sparingly.

Within a short amount of time the four of them began to run across the rolling plains. Celine's muscles ached from the night before and they were beginning to ache throughout their sprint. Every direction she looked she could see no sign of the Uruk-Hai or orcs that had taken their two hobbits. Hell, she had no idea if they were even headed in the right direction. But Aragorn led them on confidently with Legolas in tow, Celine not too far behind him, and the dwarf…. well, the dwarf was struggling to keep up.

They had been running with little rest well into midday. Celine groaned as she forced her legs to move up the tall hill that Aragorn could be seen climbing. The ranger collapsed to the ground and Celine worriedly thought the ranger had reached his limit. But no, in fact he lowered his ear to a flat stone at the crest of the hill.

Okay that's just a whole new level of weird.

The elf paused for a moment to watch his friend close his eyes and looked to be concentrating on the rock. Celine pulled up short next to the elf huffing and puffing for breath as she glanced between the elf and the ranger.

The elf looked down at the mortal maiden to his right as she grabbed her side in attempt to ease the painful stitch. She caught his eye and waved her hand in front of her face. "You know what, I'm not even going to ask." She pointed in Aragorn's direction to clarify what she meant.

No more could be said as Aragorn lifted his head up and looked out at the never-ending plains. "Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent." He spoke lowly to himself before turning around to shout at his companions. "Hurry!"

Celine groaned and wanted nothing more than to rest. The elf beside her looked down at her before turning to call to the dwarf, "Come on, Gimli!" Celine turned to look at the dwarf who was still attempting to climb the hill behind him.

"Are you ready to continue?" Legolas looked down at Celine.

She shook her head. "I'll wait for Gimli a bit, Lord knows I need to catch my breath. You go on ahead, we'll catch up." With a light shove from Celine, Legolas nodded and took off after Aragorn again.

Celine looked back down at the dwarf whom she could hear was muttering to himself. "Three days and nights pursuit. No food, no rest, no sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell."

Celine rolled her eyes as she was still trying to catch her breath as the dwarf was still climbing the hill. "You're just grumpy because you're tired." She huffed as she watched the elf and man run farther ahead of them.

"We dwarves do not tire easily!" Gimli puffed out his chest and quickened his pace. "We are sturdy creatures, we require little rest."

"It would be a lot easier if you dropped some of the weight you carry. I sincerely doubt you need so many axes."

"Ha!" Gimli barked out as he finally reached the crest beside her. "I carry these axes to fight our enemies, I strike them down with a single blow! Yer letter opener hardly weighs a stone! Light and flimsy, elvish weapon are nothing compared to the craftsmanship of the dwarves!"

Rolling her eyes once again Celine began to run beside the dwarf. She fought the urge to trip the proud dwarf but due to the seriousness of the situation, she didn't. Gimli got lucky.

The further the group ran, the prettier the scenery seemed to become. The land began to flatten out into longer and slimmer hills. They descended a slight slope and Celine glanced up to see large mountains far off into the distance. To her right she could look down the slope and see a large river traveling through the carven hills. It was a beautiful sight but she didn't dare to look up too much, she needed to concentrate on the uneven ground as she tripped over the stupid rocks more than once.

After some time, Celine caught up to Legolas (or more likely he slowed down slightly to let her match his pace) and she ran beside him for sometime. Aragorn was ahead of the three of them and stooped low to the ground and Celine was sure he was going to press his ear to the grass much like he had done with the rock. But as she slowed to a stop beside the ranger, she saw him pick something off the ground.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." He spoke quietly looking up and glancing between Celine and Legolas.

Legolas moved closer to the man and looked at what he held in his hand. A stunning green leaf that was used to clasp the cloaks around the Fellowships necks lay in his hand dirty and withered. "They may yet be alive."

Celine felt her lips tug slightly into a grin. She never fully gave into the thought that the hobbits had been brutally slaughtered somehow by the Uruk-Hai. Having at least some sort of proof made her spirits soar.

"Less than a day ahead of us. Come." Aragorn stood and began to run again once more.

Legolas turned around and saw the Gimli was lagging behind once more. "Come Gimli! We are gaining on them!"

Hearing the grunts and thuds against the ground, Celine whipped her head back to see the dwarf come rolling down the hill in a very ungraceful manner. He landed in a heap on the ground and Celine moved at once to help the dwarf as she worried Gimli somehow fell onto one of his axes that he was so adamantly planning on keeping. The dwarf hauled himself back onto his feet and shook himself of the grass that stuck to him. He was breathing heavily and moved his feet forward once again.

"I am wasted on cross-country. We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!"

Celine decided to just let that comment go.

Legolas had taken the lead of the group and after climbing a particularly rocky hill, Legolas, Aragorn, and Celine stopped at the top. The entirety of the terrain could almost be seen from where they stood. Rocks and rolling hills once again graced her vision and she looked in all directions to see any sort of sign of the hobbits or the Uruk-Hai. But she saw nothing.

"Rohan. Home of the Horse-lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us." Aragorn spoke as he too looked out over the distance.

"This is Rohan?" Celine whispered looking around once again. She had no idea what the map of Middle Earth looked like so she could not pinpoint where they were, nor had she really heard much about Rohan. Aragorn spoke of it once on their journey down the river of Anduin in an attempt to give Celine an idea of the layout of Middle Earth. But there was a reason why she avoided geography classes in college.

"Rohan is a land of men, they are proud and willful, but they are true-hearted, generous in thought and deed; bold but not cruel; wise but unlearned." Aragorn said to Celine. "They breed great stallions that are unmatched by any."

Celine furrowed her brow as she listened to him. Horse breeders? What, is there some sort of Middle Earth's version of the Kentucky Derby?

Aragorn turned his head back to look down at the elf whom had moved down the hill. "Legolas! What do you Elf-eyes see?"

The blonde elf casted his gaze on the rolling hills before them. "The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" He exclaimed loudly.

Aragorn stilled for a moment, which did not go by unnoticed by Celine. "What's wrong?" She asked whipping her head up to look at Aragorn. What was Isengard? Was this a really bad thing?

"Saruman." The ranger said quietly.

Celine was looking back and forth between Aragorn and Legolas. "Who is Saruman? What is Isengard?"

"He is the cunning White Wizard whom leads the orcs and Uruk-Hai. He has ordered for the hobbits to be taken to Isengard and for what I do not know. But I do not think it to be over good terms."

The young woman had the familiar uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. The twisting and tightening feeling started again for whatever reason. Perhaps the mention of Isengard triggered some sort of gut feeling? What did this mean? What sorts of horrors were going to befall the little hobbits? She dared not let her imagination continue on that track because she did not want to think about all the grotesque possibilities.

They four continued on for many hours and the aches in her legs seemed like fire but she paid little attention to her discomfort. She knew that her discomfort was only a fraction of what Merry and Pippin were going through now. Aragorn would have probably let them run well into the night, but he noticed that the young woman was becoming weak, as she did not have the stamina the other three had. Though, the ranger was quite surprised at how far she pushed herself to continue for the sake of the hobbits.

"Aragorn I'm fine!" Celine brushed off the ranger's hand from her shoulder as he urged them to rest for merely two hours before they began again. "Merry and Pippin are getting further ahead of us the longer we wait! You said so this morning!"

"Aye, there is no denying that." Aragorn spoke as he put his hand again atop her shoulder to cease her movement. "But two hours of rest will replenish our strength. What use are we if we drop to the earth of over exhaustion? We have gained much ground already."

Whatever argument Celine had prepared was lost as she looked at Aragorn's hardened gaze. She had accepted him as their small group leader and she knew deep down inside that the two hours rest would do her much good. Her legs burned and her breaths were labored. But despite her pains she felt stronger than she ever had before in her life. She had used muscles that she swore she never worked before.

"Rest," The ranger urged. "I shall wake you in two hours time." Aragorn watched Celine reluctantly agree before moving away from the elf and ranger to lie upon the grass near the dwarf. Gimli was already beginning to drift off to sleep as Celine had been protesting Aragorn's commands. He knew that Aragorn was a stubborn man and he would eventually get his way.

While the woman and dwarf lay down in the grassy land, Aragorn turned to the elf whom was continuing to look around the land. "_Card ú boe hebin sillumë. Ēd mellon_."

"_Fó, baurd entëdeith_." Legolas shook his head lightly as he moved to look at the ranger beside him.

"_Kwí haust innas asië rúcinael. Nányë gar tofnel tíria nauth. Ped nin mellon, man presta san?"_

"_Ennas olyaië erin ind sui uin vaina. Entë reth ú, nín hûn loda ilqua Celine._"

The ranger moved to look behind him at the lightly slumbering woman. "_An man thel lothron hano?_"

"_He tol lambina enni órë, enna ië madh hlarboe._" And so the elf spoke to the ranger of the things that Celine had revealed to him their previous day. The vivid dreams of the past and the clouded ones of the future. They spoke lowly with one another about her dreams and also of the two taken hobbits. Aragorn refused to give up hope so easily as they were coming closer and closer to the Uruk-Hai pack. Legolas too tried to remain optimistic about their friends, he prayed to the Valar that they would remain unharmed and in good condition despite their captor's sadistic pleasures.

"Tis nothing she should be seeing." Aragorn spoke quietly in common tongue while taking a glance at the slumbering woman. "But it is most peculiar, the vivid dreams of the past and the foggy ones of the future. While this may seem like a gift to most, you say her dreams are filled with unimaginable horrors. To what purpose do these dreams hold?"

"I know not Estel." The elf replied while too taking a quick glance at the young mortal woman. "But it does not seem like these dreams have just begun. I have urged her to speak to one of us when they occur."  
Aragorn nodded. "I agree my friend. Until it is made clear what these dreams mean, perhaps it be best that we are alerted of them at once." He paused as he watched the elf take another glance at the woman. "But that is not all you worry about."

Legolas hesitated slightly before he spoke. "You were always quite perceptive Estel. Yes, among all the thoughts that go through my mind, one of them is the toll that Celine will have to pay as this journey progresses. Her skills with a sword are fair, but she lacks war strategy and stealth. She was not meant for this tale, I fear for her."

_Û lá tû en rhond cend, ono ni rhond hûn_.

Lady Galadriel's voice rang through Aragorn's head as he reflected on what she said. "Those she may lack, but look at her heart. She is strong willed, not one to sit idle when her hearts fights with her mind. She has opened up to our company as time has passed. No longer does she seemed as, how to say lightly, coarse and self-imposed. She has let us into her life and her heart, even if it is only a smidge, it is still something." The ranger said.

The elf laughed lightly as he recalled the arguments he had with Celine during the first few days after they had met. "Aye, she has shown growth in character. But will her mind still stay as pure and untouched as it had been before."

"Those are the sacrifices that must be made in such a time as this." Aragorn turned to his long time friend. "We all have taken the measures to ensure her well-being, but none have been so attentive as you. You have been the eyes and ears of everyone in this company, and I must ask selfishly that you do so again, but solely for Celine. She needs it more than I or Gimli the dwarf. She had given us hope when little remains, perhaps he battle is not meant for the field, but for the heart."

Legolas understood that the ranger was not purely asking for him to physically protect her, no, he knew that over time her heart might drown in the sorrow of this tale of war and death. Her beacon's light might falter and he need only to remind that there is always a light, even in the darkest of places. Nodding towards Aragorn, Legolas looked up towards the night sky and waited for the time to pass.

Once the two hours had passed, Gimli and Celine were woken again and the company began their travels. Celine felt even groggier than she had before the sleep as she never truly believed naps ever helped anyone. Except infants, babies needed to sleep.

The dawn soon came and the suns glow casted a dark read color across the sky. It was a sight to behold but Celine heard the elf speak lowly to himself as he looked out at the sky.

"What did you say?" She asked stopping slightly in front of him.

"Tis nothing." Legolas replied. Celine didn't have any other chance to ask him because he was on the move.

The four of them moved across the terrain much like they had been doing the days before, they were speedy and quick. Aragorn stooped to the ground several times to look for tracks or perhaps the belongings of the hobbits. But it wasn't until later that day did Celine and her friends have their first encounter with other living folk.

Aragorn had knelt down to the ground once again but this time, something halted him from standing up immediately. Celine noticed the elf tense next to her and even she didn't need super elf-enhanced senses to feel something was wrong.

The ground beneath her feet began to shake slightly, almost like an earthquake. But after a few seconds Celine could tell that it wasn't the earth that was moving, it was like great vibrations were quivering under their feet. A shrill whistle pierced the air at a very loud and high-pitched volume. She furrowed her brow, as she was confused to what was going on but had no more time to contemplate it.

There below the hill they stood upon, a great morsel of riders and their horses came parading up towards them. No words were even exchanged between the group, Celine's wrist was grabbed by Legolas and she and the others were hurried behind a large rock that covered them all easily.

Crouching to the ground, Celine watched the horse riders pass beside them. She held her breath as she prayed silently that they would go by unnoticed, to which they did. Celine watched the riders pass them and noticed that they were not orcs of Uruk-Hai, which offered her some relief. But she now knew that not the entire race of men had kind intentions, after dreaming of the slaughter of the villagers she didn't really know anyone who was trustworthy anymore.

"Who are they?" Celine whispered to Legolas while still keeping her eyes on the riders.

"They are people of Rohan, they are the Rohirrim. Those who guard these lands." Legolas told her.

"Are they on our side?"

"I do not know." Legolas said before exchanging glances with the ranger. It was hard to tell whom were allies and who had sided with the dark wizard.

"We shall seek answers from them." Aragorn said as he continued to watch the men and horses gallop less than a league away.

"Ye think it wise to go about in the open to speak to men whom we don't know the side they stand upon?" Gimli gruffed.

Aragorn eyed the dwarf carefully. "I see no other choice. We walk upon their lands and they have traveled far on horseback. Perchance they know the location of our hobbit friends."

"And if they are siding with the White Wizard?" Gimli gripped his axe tighter in his hand at the mere thought of the enemy.

"I don't think we have much of a choice." Celine shrugged her shoulders. "Let's go talk to them." But before Celine could stand up to much the elf grabbed her wrist again, and urged her back down.

"Let us go seek council. If things were to go astray, in time of war not even women are spared."

Celine had already witnessed what Legolas spoke of in her dreams. She did not need to be reminded of it. Trying to portray nonchalance, the young mortal woman rolled her eyes. "If things did go 'astray'," Celine air quoted the word. "you think I would stand here and watch you all get slaughtered? That would make me a really shitty friend."

Friends get slaughtered together.

Game of Thrones anyone?

"We cannot delay any longer, I will stand and ask the Rohirrim myself. You three will-." But before the ranger could finish his sentence the dwarf interrupted.

"Ye aren't going anywhere without us laddie. This elf is a stubborn creature as it is and we dwarves are loyal to a fault. Aye and well Celine…" The dwarf paused a moment while taking a side-glance at her. "the lass just tends to follow."

The dwarf earned a swift punch in his bicep from the woman. Which actually hurt her knuckles more than the dwarf.

Needing no further encouragement, Aragorn stood up and walked out from behind their cover and shouted; "Riders of Rohan, What news from the mark?"

The words echoed loudly and the riders did not hesitate in the slightest, they steered their horses back around towards the group. The man leading the group raised his spear and angled it towards the direction he was turning and the men behind him followed suit.

The Rohirrim charged towards Celine and the others in a full out sprint. Her heart began to beat quickly the nearer they drew. The horsemen closed in on them and Celine backed against the three men she traveled with, though Aragorn grabbed her forearm and drew her further into the middle of the circle.

Soon a tight ring was formed around them and all the men's spears were pointed in towards them. Aragorn raised his hands in a gesture of peace while the elf and dwarf were on edge ready to draw their weapons if the need arose.

A horse drew near to Celine and its heavy breath went straight into her face. The horse was a little too close for comfort. She flicked her fingers forward in a shooing motion, "Back up Secretariat." She growled.

The horse obviously did not like that so much, so it leaned forward a bit and snapped its teeth towards her fingers. Celine jumped and drew her hand back quickly as the elf stood more in front of her, but most likely to protect her from the spears rather than the horses.

A man pushed forward to the front of his company on his horse. Celine had to crane her neck up to see the man completely. He wore a helm on his head, much like the rest of the horsemen, but seemed to be more regal looking. It bowed down over the bridge of his nose but left enough open to see most of his features. The man looked to be strict and cautious around them, almost trying to study them and discover their intent.

His voice boomed loudly through the clearing. "What business does an elf, a man, a woman, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!"

Gimli obviously did not appreciate the way he was being spoken to, so he gave a less than pleasant reply. "Give me your name horse master, and I shall give you mine." Celine whipped her head around to glare at the dwarf for giving the horse master sass. Gimli was going to get them killed.

The man on the horse paused for a moment before he thrust his spear into the hands on the man next to him. He swung his leg over and dismounted from his stead. Legolas glared at the man and shifted his stance so Celine was even more out of view. He did not like where this conversation was heading and his hands itched to notch an arrow. Aragorn moved to put his hand of the dwarf's shoulder, silently urging him not to do anything rash. He probably should have done the same thing to Legolas though.

"I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." The Rohirrim leader snarled.

That was a low blow.

Legolas withdrew an arrow from his quiver and knocked it faster than he ever had before, he aimed it right between the eyes of the man. Celine doubted even his head gear would stop the arrow at such a close range. "You would die before your stroke fell!" Legolas snarled at the man.

The other Rohirrim obviously did not take too kindly at their leader being threatened by an outsider so they enclosed even closer on them with most of the spears aimed directly at Legolas' head. If Gimli wasn't going to get them killed, Legolas would certainly provoke them to do so.

Aragorn wasted no time getting in front of the elf and putting his hand on the elf's arm, urging him to lower his weapon. Legolas reluctantly lowered his bow and Aragorn turned towards the man. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, this is Gimli son of Gloin, Legolas of the woodland realm, and Lady Celine."

The man studied each of them individually before his eyes finally stopped on Celine. He gave her a quizzical stare and Celine felt like he could somehow tell she wasn't really apart of Middle Earth. Which was ridiculous to be honest, you cannot stare at someone and simply assume where they are from. She thought she blended in quite well. Take for example that she stank as badly as the men surrounding them.

"And where does Lady Celine hail from." The man asked turning his attention back to Aragorn. If Aragorn was going to answer for her, Celine did not give him the chance.

"I'm from Maine!" Celine blurted out quite loudly. Aragorn glanced back at her but Celine didn't even bother looking in his direction. He would most likely not be happy that she elected to speak for herself. He probably could have thought of a more realistic location.

The man eyed her with more suspicion. "I have not heard of this Maine."

"Land of the Moose." Celine tried to sound more confident and firm than she actually felt, as she knew she was probably just digging her own grave. It worked with Haldir, why not this man?

Before the situation could turn any worse, Aragorn brought the attention back to him. "We come with no ill intent. We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden your King."

The man's face slightly softened at the name of the land's king. He reached up towards his helmet and slowly removed it as he spoke. "Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin." Once his helmet was removed the other men's spears were lifted away from Celine and her company's face. Much to her relief.

Finally Celine was able to truly see the man they were speaking to. He did not seem that old, perhaps young 30's. He had longer dirty blonde hair that hung in a mess past his shoulders. Facial hair graced his face and when Celine finally looked him in the eyes, she saw they were full of pain and sorrow. His posture was slightly weakened as he seemed to reflect back on the past. But it was over in a second as his eyes hardened once more with a purpose. He looked neither cruel nor evil, just cautious and not wanting to be deceived by the people before him.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over his lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that we are banished." The Rohirrim man spoke. "The white wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked, and everywhere his spies slip past our nets." He began to walk from Aragorn, to Gimli, before finally stopping in front of Celine. The last part seemed to be slightly like an accusation aimed towards her for some odd reason.

"I find it odd for a group such as yourselves to be traveling these lands with little on your backs. What I find even stranger is the reason why a young woman would travel amongst such odd companions."

Celine didn't like where the conversation was turning, she narrowed her eyes and said; "You must not get out very much." Which is honestly not the response she should have given.

"I would take care to whom you speak girl." The man replied evenly.

"I would take care how you ask your questions!" She snapped back and before she could fire off even more offensive words, Aragorn stepped in front of her and blocked her from the Rohirrim man.

"We are no spies." The ranger said. "We track a party of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive."

The young woman peered around Aragorn's form to see the softened expression of the horse master. He perhaps realized that the group before him was telling the truth about why they were traveling across the plains. "The Uruks are destroyed, we slaughtered them during the night."

Celine's scowl slowly merged into a smile. They had spotted the Uruk-Hai?! If the Uruks were killed than their friends were safe! They were no longer in the hands of the enemy!

The rest of her companions, though, feared for their hobbit friends. Aragorn knew that the men of Rohan were honorable folk and would not slaughter other races without a just cause. They would have spoken to them and determined why the hobbits were amongst the enemy. And seeing as Merry and Pippin were not amongst the men on horses, his heart clenched tightly as the prospect of the fate that had befallen his friends.

Gimli was the first to speak up and ask about their friends. "But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?"

"They would be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn clarified in case the man had never seen a hobbit, or halfling, before.

The Rohirrim man looked between the group and shook his head softly. "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He pointed behind him and atop a hill, a few leagues away, a great cloud of white smoke was lifted into the air.

Any glimmer of hope that fleeted through her heart was shattered in that mere second.

Celine's jaw dropped slightly and a sudden chill filled her body. "It cannot be." She whispered more to herself than anyone else. Had they been pursuing day and night for nothing? Only for them to be slaughtered in the chaos of the Rohirrim, what sort of ending was that?

"Dead?" Gimli choked out and the Rohirrim man turned to look down at the dwarf, void of any ill will."

"I am sorry."

Aragorn cast his gaze to the ground and let his eyes dart around the earth. He tried to wrap his mind around what information had been relayed to him. The fate dealt to Merry and Pippin was most unfortunate, to be slaughtered by allies instead of enemies was too horrific to think about.

The Rohirrim man looked about the group whom seemed to bow their heads in grief and defeat. He whistled loudly and gestured his hand out behind him. "Hasufel, Arod." Two horses with no riders atop them stepped forward towards Celine and her companions. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters." He spoke while handing the reins to Aragorn and Legolas.

He stepped away from the group, but before he did so, he looked down at the woman before him who was holding back tears as best as she could. "Forgive me my lady for my words I had spoken earlier. I am sorry for your friends."

Celine looked up at the man then glanced over at the empty saddles of the horses. "And I am sorry for yours."

With a nod of his head the Rohirrim man swung back atop his horse. "Farewell. Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It is forsaken in these lands." Turning around to address his men he shouted loudly, "We ride north!"

The men and their horses spurred around and galloped at a great speed away from them, leaving them with nothing but each other and the two horses.

Celine watched them ride off before turning her attention back to the rugged ranger who was staring intently at the rising smoke. "Come my friends. We shall finish this to the very end." He moved towards one of the horses.

"What?" Celine's voice cracked awkwardly due to her still trying to hold back tears. "You wish to see the burning flesh of our friends? Is that the sort of ending you want to see?!"

"Nay, he does not mean it so." Legolas spoke next to her. He looked down at the young woman while he continued to speak. "But nothing is certain, let us go to our friends. Let them know that we have found them at long last at that they are not alone. They deserve that in the very least."

Perhaps Legolas was right, perhaps he was not. Celine did not want to see the burning flesh of orcs, Uruk-Hai, and hobbits piled high upon each other. But it is what she saw.

With the assistance of Aragorn, Celine was able to climb atop the mighty horse. She clung onto Aragorn's back for fear of falling to the ground. Gimli rode the other horse with Legolas and the four of them climbed the rolling hills towards the billowing smoke.

Celine could barely stand the stench of burning flesh when they finally came to the crest of the hill. She couldn't put into words the putrid smell in the air mixing with the smoke of the flames. Aragorn quickly descended the horse before moving to assist Celine off.

Once her feet were on the ground, Aragorn moved swiftly to the dead carcasses. Celine moved after him to follow, but no nearly as fast. As the wind blew she could feel little ashes skirt across her skin, which made her feel sick to her stomach.

Gimli moved past her towards the pile of bodies and took his axe and began to move the melted flesh around. He searched between the bodies of their enemy for any sign of the small hobbits. The dwarf worked quickly but stopped moving his axe once he found a familiar torn object.

Turning towards the remaining Fellowship, Gimli held up what he found. "It's one of their wee belts."

Celine pressed the heel of her hand against her eyes and shook her head back and forth. "No, no, no." She whispered while shaking her head.

"_Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath_." The elf spoke bowing his head as he whispered a prayer.

Aragorn grit his teeth and kicked a nearby helmet of the enemy's. He screamed loudly in frustration before falling to his knees of the ground. Celine removed her hands from her eyes and surveyed what was left of them. Each of them fell into their own sorrow and grieved in their own manner.

"We failed them." Gimli spoke softly.

"Could we have done more?" She asked aloud. Celine turned her gaze to Legolas who stood not too far from her and held a sorrowful expression. "We should have been quicker!"

Legolas watched the small mortal's emotions flicker quickly across her face. Anger, sorrow, remorse, and grief mingled with each other, as she seemed to try to make sense of what had happened. He too grieved for the hobbits, for their fate was unjust. But he had to hope that their death was swift with no pain.

"Nay," Legolas spoke. "we must not linger in the past and reflect on what could have been done. Let us grieve with one another and pray that they are in a much better place."

"They should be here though." Celine's voice cracked with emotion. "They should be with us! Not burning in a corpse pile with such disgusting creatures. They were so small! So harmless!"

Before Legolas could say anymore, Aragorn's voice drifted softly through the air. "A hobbit lay here, and the other." Celine and Legolas turned around to see Aragorn keeping low to the ground as his fingers traced the grass beneath him.

"They crawled. Their hands were bound." The ranger said as he saw the drag marks of small bodies across the grass. Celine, Legolas, and Gimli began to move quickly over to Aragorn to see what he was speaking of. "Their bonds were cut." Aragorn held up the rough, thick rope in his hands. Celine quickly grabbed the rope and went over the cut edges with her hands. She saw no trace of blood and her heart fluttered softly.

"They ran over here. They were followed." Aragorn moved further across the ground

as he narrated the story that none of them, except the ranger, could see. "The tracks lead away from the battle, and into Fangorn Forest." At long last Aragorn stopped moving and stood to his full height beside his friends. The four of them looked towards the dark forest.

Celine's heart beat faster at the thought of the hobbit's survival. They had managed to escape from the Uruk-Hai and the orcs slaughter bath. She didn't care how; the only thing she cared about was the survival of the two little hobbits.

"Fangorn Forest, what madness drove them in there?" Gimli asked as he took in the forest.

The young woman whipped her head down to look at the dwarf. "Perhaps they fancied prancing through the forest rather than being slaughter by the men on horses. Who cares why?! They are alive! They escaped from the orcs!"

"They were followed lass." Gimli gently reminded her but Celine shoved his face with her hand.

"Have you no faith in our hobbits?!" She moved forward and turned around to face the group with a grin slapped across her face. "They are alive! I just know it! What are we waiting for?! Let's go find them!" But before she could take another step forward, Aragorn gently grabbed her upper arm to stall her movements.

"There are tales of these forests young lass." Gimli gruffed. "It wouldn't be wise to go forth blindly without truly knowing what lays within these woods."

"Our hobbits are within these woods!" Celine snapped back.

"Peace friends." Aragorn held a hand between the two. "I shall lead us through these woods, their tracks are light and even the slightest of disturbances could cause their path to be lost to us. Let us keep that flame of hope within our hearts, come friends! The sun in high, let us use what light there is left to seek out our hobbit friends!"

* * *

~ ~ Translations ~ ~

_Card ú boe hebin sillumë. Ēd mellon_ \- You do not/need not keep watch this night/hour. Rest my friend.

_Fó, baurd entëdeith_ \- No, you need it more than I.

_Kwí haust innas asië rúcinael. Nányë gar tofnel tíria nauth. Ped nin mellon, man presta san? _\- Perhaps/maybe rest will ease/comfort your turmoil. I have noticed your deep gazes of thought. Tell me friend, what troubles you so?

_Ennas olyaië erin ind sui uin vaina. Entë reth ú, nín hûn loda ilqua Celine._ \- There is much on my mind as of late. More often than not, my mind/heart drifts to Celine.

_An man thel lothron hano? _\- For what reason/purpose may that be?

_He tol lambina enni órë, enna ië madh hlarboe. _\- She has spoken to me the day/dawn before, there is something you must hear.

_Û lá tû en rhond cend, ono ni rhond hûn_ – It is not the strength of the body you must look to, but to the strength of the heart.

_Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath._ \- May they find peace after death

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A/N I'll keep this short but I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took so long to get out and for the lack of action. But we have some great fight scenes coming up which some of our favorite characters will take place in! Please review and I'll talk to you in the next chapter!


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